Way 


Divisioa  SSZ4Z0 
Section  ,\45'^S 


Heinrich  Hofmann 


THE    SON   OF   MAN 

Engraved  from  the  Famous  Painting  of  "  Christ  and  the  Rich    Young  Ruler  " 


The  Story-Life  of 

The  Son  of  Man 


Nearly  a  Thousand  Stories  from  Sa- 
cred and  Secular  Sources  in  a  Con- 
tinuous and  Complete  Chronicle 
of    the   Earth   Life   of  the   Saviour 


JUL  iR  1924 


By  WAYNE  WHIPPLE 

Author  of  The  Story-Life  of  Washington,  The  Story-Life 
of  Lincoln,  The  Story  of  the  American  Flag,  etc. 


WITH  FULL-PAGE  ENGRAVINGS  FROM  HISTORIC 

PAINTINGS  AND  SACRED  ORIGINALS,  SOME 

REPRODUCED  FOR  THE  FIRST  TIME 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming     H.     Revel!     Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  19 1 3,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  125  North  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      too   Princes    Street 


ro    HIM 


Strong  Son  of  God,  immortal  Love, 

Whom  we,  that  have  not  seen  Thy  face, 
By  faith,  and  faith  alone,  embrace, 

Believing  where  we  cannot  prove. 

Forgive  me  where  I  fail  in  truth 
And  in  Thy  wisdom  make  me  wise. 

— In  Memoriarn,  Alfied  Tennyson,  Poetical  Works,  page  247. 


Introductory 


And  there  are  also  many  things  that  Jesus  did,  which,  if  they  should 
be  written  one  by  one,  not  even  the  ivorld  itself,  I  suppose,  tvould  con- 
tain the  written  books.     Amen. — John  xxi.  25  {rendered  literally). 

THIS  simple  supposition,  which  closes  the  Fourth  Gospel, 
gives  an  idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  work  confronting 
one  who  attempts  to  piece  together  from  the  almost 
infinite  sources  the  heart-breaking  story  of  the  Saviour's  life  as 
a  Man  among  men.  During  the  eighteen  centuries  which  have 
elapsed,  since  the  latter  days  of  John  the  Beloved,  the  work  of 
filling  the  world  with  books  about  his  Lord  has  been  going  on. 

Reasons  for  Another  Life  of  Christ 

This  fact — that  there  is  room  in  the  world  for  more  books 
about  Him — would  seem  to  be  the  chief  excuse  for  another  Life 
of  Christ.  Yet  a  better  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the  Story-Life 
idea — of  selecting  the  best  that  has  ever  been  written  or  spoken 
about  the  Son  of  Man,  and  arranging  it,  story  after  story,  bit  by 
bit,  as  a  mosaic  is  made,  into  a  vivid  and  attractive  picture. 
This  lends  itself  admirably  to  choosing  the  very  best  of  every- 
thing that  can  be  found  to  compose  the  completest  arrangement 
of  the  most  beautiful  story  ever  told,  as  given  by  hundreds  of 
authors,  in  many  lands  and  languages,  from  Holy  Writ  and 
secular  history,  on  all  sorts  of  authority  from  the  plain  Gospel 
of  Matthew  to  the  palpitating  descriptions  of  Marie  Corelli; 
stories  have  been  taken  also  from  Eeuan  and  from  the  profane 
legends  which  serve  to  illustrate  how  inadequate  is  the  human 
mind,  unaided  by  inspiration,  to  describe 

"  the  sinless  years  that  breathed 
Beneath  the  Syrian  blue." 

7 


8  INTRODUCTORY 

There  is  no  other  theme  ou  which  authority  counts  for  so  much. 
The  reader  may  well  divine  the  fascination  and  inspiration  to  be 
found  in  the  choicest  thoughts  of  the  greatest  writers  and  thinkers 
the  world  has  ever  seen.  Such  an  array  of  sources,  named  else- 
where, does  not  militate  against  this  Story-Life,  but  combines  to 
make  it  all  the  richer  and  more  fascinating  to  the  heart  of  the 
average  reader.  With  rare  generosity,  authors  and  publishers 
have  united  in  allowing  excerpts  to  be  taken  from  their  own 
copyrighted  volumes  to  enhance  the  interest  and  the  value  of  The 
Story-Life  of  the  Son  of  3Ian,  making  it  "a  book  of  a  thousand 
stories  and  the  story  of  a  thousand  books." 

In  this  continued  story  use  is  made  of  all  the  translations  and 
versions,  from  the  Latin  Vulgate  of  Jerome,  the  old  Saxon  of 
King  Alfred,  and  the  wholesome  and  homely  German  of  Luther, 
to  the  excellent  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament,  a  direct  transla- 
tion into  modern  English  by  about  twenty  scholars  representing 
the  principal  branches  of  the  Christian  Church.  In  some  in- 
stances literal  renderings  are  made  direct  from  the  original  Greek 
into  the  popular  vernacular.  None  of  these  renditions  is  offered 
as  better  than  others  ;  they  are  added  only  to  give  varying  shades 
and  hues  of  meaning,  and  to  aid  in  the  better  comx)rehension  of 
the  sacred  text. 

The  best  "harmony  of  the  Gospels"  has  been  followed,  in  a 
general  way,  without  stopping  the  story  to  discuss  the  question 
whether  one  or  two  blind  men  were  made  to  see  at  Jericho,  or 
whether  Jesus  performed  a  certain  miracle  on  His  way  into  or  out 
of  the  place  mentioned.  There  are  plenty  of  arguments  for  and 
against  this  or  that  theory,  but  long  discussions  settle  nothing, 
and  serve  only  to  distract  the  mind  from  the  real  story.  The 
inspired  writers  were  content  to  tell  the  simple  story  of  what  the 
Master  did,  without  specifying  lohen  or  ivhere.  There  was  a 
higher  Wisdom  in  this,  and  it  is  a  safe  rule  for  the  writer  to 
follow  to-day. 

While  advantage  of  the  riijest  scholarship  has  been  taken,  and 
many  stories  have  been  translated  from  divers  tongues,  it  has 
been  the  chief  care  to  present  the  life  of  Jesus  in  language  which 
the  reader,  young  or  old,  will  be  able  to  understand.  The  sole 
object  is  to  show  Him  as  He  "walked  and  worked  and  talked," 
and  what  He  did  for  the  men  and  women  and  little  children  who 


INTRODUCTORY  9 

saw  Him  face  to  face ;  to  condense  the  best  things  in  the  world 
about  Him  within  the  compass  of  a  single  volume,  and  to  bring 
His  matchless  life  close  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  It  will  be 
found  of  great  interest  to  those  who  would  never  think  of  reading 
a  Life  of  Christ  otherwise,  or  who  have  been  unfavourably  im- 
pressed with  the  moralising  and  preaching  into  which  too  many 
books  on  Bible  subjects  have  degenerated.  No  attemj)t  is  made 
to  draw  couclusious  for  the  reader,  who  should  be  able  to  make 
his  own  inferences  if  he  can  see  things  as  they  were. 

The  Heart  of  the  Eternal 

The  Christ  came  to  show  men  what  the  Heart  of  God  is  like. 
The  Gospel  stories,  by  their  simple,  earnest  directness,  should 
make  the  strongest  appeal  to  the  hearts  of  men.  The  reason  that 
these  stories  do  not  grip  the  emotions  of  the  reader  is  because  they 
have  become  so  familiar  as  to  be  without  real  meaning.  This  is  not 
due  to  the  wicked  or  uuregeuerate  mind  so  much  as  to  a  lifelong 
familiarity  with  the  story  given  in  the  stilted,  sometimes  obsolete 
forms  of  bygone  centuries,  so  that  the  head  often  stands  in  the 
way  of  the  heart.  The  Gospel  narrative,  which  so  captivates  the 
hearts  of  those  who  read  it  for  the  first  time,  fails  even  to  interest 
those  who  have  heard  it  all  their  lives,  and  thus  have  become 
"  case-hardened."  This  is  the  reason  for  giving  some  of  the  most 
familiar  narratives  in  modern  forms  that  the  reader  may  see  them 
through  new  eyes,  and  be  pleased  to  find  how  much  better  the 
dear  old  Bible  stories  are  than  the  best  of  those  told  by  writers 
uninspired.  For  instance,  that  touching  story  told  by  the  Master 
Story-Teller  Himself,  so  long  rendered  remote  from  human  sym- 
pathy under  the  title  of  "The  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son," 
comes  home  to  modern  experience  as  "The  Story  of  the  Loviug 
Father  and  His  Wandering  Boy."  Yet  it  is  the  same  story  Jesus 
related  one  day,  while  a  fugitive  in  Perea,  but  translated  into 
modern  English  instead  of  the  speech  of  three  hundred  years 
ago. 

By  the  use  of  descriptive  and  devotional  poetry  and  the  addi- 
tion of  illuminating  illustrations  which  are  modern  in  atmosphere 
and  spirit,  every  effort  is  made  to  retell  in  terms  of  life  to-day 

"  that  sweet  story  of  old 
"When  Jesus  was  here  among  men." 


10  INTRODUCTORY 

Human  nature  was  the  same  among  the  ancients,  and  the 
struggles  and  problems,  public  and  private,  with  which  He  had 
to  contend  were  much  the  same  as  those  the  reformer  has  before 
him  to-day — only  His  struggles  in  behalf  of  the  people  against 
the  exclusiveness  and  oppressions  of  the  domineering  rich  were  a 
hundredfold  greater  than  those  with  which  the  progressive  must 
wage  his  warfare  iu  our  day  and  generation. 

Thek  Rocfc  and  Ours 

"There  is  some  soul  of  gooduess  in  things  evil 
Would  men  observingly  distil  it  out," 

SO  the  best  stories  and  descriptions  in  the  works  of  skeptical 
writers  are  found  here.  Renan,  in  his  Life  of  Jesus,  for  instance, 
has  done  much  iu  his  strange,  distorted  way  to  stimulate  others 
in  worthy  research  and  vivid  portrayal.  Some  of  his  apostrophes 
to  tlie  Christ  are  as  impassioned  as  they  are  inconsistent,  but 
these  are  given  to  represent  all  shades  of  belief  and  unbelief. 
Of  the  materials  furnished  by  skepticism  nothing  destructive  is 
used.  Iu  the  chapters  of  legends  of  the  boyhood  of  Jesus  certain 
spurious  stories  are  inserted  to  show  what  crude  and  wicked 
devices  even  well-meaning  minds,  unaided  by  inspiration,  have 
produced  about  "the  silent  years  "  of  His  earth-life.  These  quo- 
tations are  given  iu  the  spirit  of  the  Song  of  Moses : 

"For  their  rock  is  not  as  our  Rock 
Even  our  enemies  themselves  being  judges." 

Scriptural  versions,  hymns,  and  the  Lives  of  Christ  by  Roman 
Catholic  translators  and  authors  have  been  used  with  consider- 
able freedom.  These  show  a  devout  spirit  with  long  and  patient 
study.  It  should  be  said  that  the  Roman  Catholic  translator  is 
allowed  great  liberty  in  rendering  from  the  Vulgate,  and  some  of 
the  best  and  most  graphic  stories  in  this  work  are  chosen  from 
these  excellent  sources. 

Paul,  in  one  of  his  letters  to  the  Christians  at  Corinth,  inter- 
preted the  allusion  of  Moses  as  to  "the  spiritual  Rock  that  fol- 
lowed them,"  and  "that  Rock  was  Christ,"  The  fact  that  the 
things  of  the  Spirit    cannot  be  discerned  except  through  the 


INTRODUCTORY  11 

medium  of  the  Spirit  is  the  stone  wall  agaiust  which  skeptical 
criticism  has  been  blindly  battering  its  head  for  a  thousand  years. 

**The  Qaackery  of  Infidelity*' 

Some  Lives  of  Christ  are  addressed  to  the  head.  Written  to 
bolster  up  a  certain  tenet,  they  are  often  without  appeal  to  the 
reader's  heart.  The  mind  becomes  so  accustomed  to  the  argu- 
mentative aspect  of  the  Master's  life  that  it  is  very  easy  for  both 
writer  and  reader  to  lose  sight  of  the  loveliuess  of  it  all.  Com- 
paratively few  authors  seem  to  have  any  idea  of  making  the  truth 
of  His  career,  which  is  far  more  wonderful  than  any  fiction,  as 
fasciuating  as  the  story  of  an  ordinary  life  and  love.  The  Life 
of  Christ  is  the  grandest  love-story  ever  written. 

Wheu  the  reader  becomes  interested  in  other  thiugs  than  the 
simple  life  of  the  Christ  he  is  easily  led  astray.  Some  of  the 
greatest  intellects  have,  almost  imperceptibly  at  first,  made  ship- 
wreck of  faith.  The  devout  mind  of  George  Eliot  was  first  be- 
numbed, then  corrupted,  while  working,  day  after  day,  translating 
from  the  German,  Strauss's  Life  of  Jesus.  Great  though  she  was, 
she  soon  lost  sight  of  the  wide  gap  between  the  spirit  of  belief  aud 
the  spirit  of  criticism,  and  fell  backward  into  that  awful  abyss. 
When  she  felt  her  feet  slipping  over  the  brink  she  wrote  to  a 
friend  that  her  work  on  ''Strauss"  made  her  ill. 

The  history  of  the  inner  life  of  Marian  Evans  was  fuller  of  sol- 
emu  pathos  than  the  greatest  novel  of  George  Eliot.  All  through 
her  later  life  she  bitterly  regretted  the  loss  of  her  early  faith,  and 
admitted  that  she  had  "found  no  place  of  repentance, "  though 
she  "sought  it  carefully  with  tears."  But  George  Eliot's  fate 
proves  nothing  against  the  Life.  It  shows  only  that  the  greatest 
minds  are  capable  of  making  the  greatest  mistakes.  One  of  the 
greatest  mistakes  any  man,  woman  or  child  can  make  is  to  pursue 
a  course  of  reading  or  discussion  which  may  destroy  the  happiness 
of  the  heart  for  time  and  eternity.  It  was  after  she  realised  all 
she  had  lost,  that  she  was  out  of  touch  with  the  Great  Physician, 
and  that  she  found  no  comfort  in  the  vials  of  unbelief,  that  George 
Eliot  cried  out,  from  the  desolation  of  her  lonely  soul,  agaiust 
"the  quackery  of  infidelity." 

It  is  encouraging  to  the  true  believer  to  know  that  the  leading 
skeptical  writers  of  the  present  day  have  met  the  self-sufficient 


13  INTRODUCTORY 

savants  of  George  Eliot's  time  on  their  own  ground,  fighting  the 
battle  with  the  weapons  of  skepticism  and  have  proved  that  the 
collateral  evidences  are  entirely  in  favour  of  the  traditions  of  the 
Church  for  more  than  a  thousand  years.  With  all  their  sneers  at 
Christian  credulity,  there  is  no  one  quite  so  credulous  as  the  opin- 
ionated skeptic  who  puts  a  belief  in  self  before  faith  in  God. 

Should  the  canons  of  the  Christian  give  way  to  the  canons  of 
criticism?  Let  the  Church  at  least  take  her  stand  beside  the 
poet  in 

"  Believing  where  we  cannot  prove." 

Otherwise,  where  is  the  Christian's  faith? 

Jestis  First  Taught  the  Golden  Rule 

The  Christian  believer  has  been  too  lenient  in  conceding  the 
claims  made  for  other  religions.  Truth-seekers  among  ancient 
beliefs  make  their  so-called  discoveries  with  a  natural  prejudice 
in  behalf  of  the  subjects  of  their  investigations.  So  accustomed 
is  the  modern  mind  to  the  "Light  of  the  World"  that  these  en- 
thusiasts forget  that  they  are  conducting  their  own  researches  in 
the  gloom  of  antiquity  by  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  And  the  be- 
lievers in  Christ  are  led  by  the  modern  spirit  of  liberality  to  con- 
cede more  than  is  necessary. 

For  example,  it  is  often  stated,  even  from  the  pulpit,  that  the 
Golden  Rule  was  first  taught  by  Gautama  the  Buddha,  who  lived 
many  centuries  before  Christ  announced  that  rule  of  conduct  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  But  this  claim  is  disproved  by  one  of 
the  greatest  of  modern  students  of  Buddhist  beliefs— Dr.  Albert 
J.  Edmunds — who,  with  the  help  of  a  learned  Japanese  professor, 
makes  the  following  comparison  possible.  Here  is  the  Golden 
Rule  as  stated  in  Luke  vi.  38,  according  to  the  Authorised 
Version  : 

"  As  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them 
likewise ; "  compare  this  with  the  original  statement  of  the  so- 
called  Golden  Rule  of  Buddha,  as  too-liberally  translated  by  Max 
Miiller  from  a  long  poem  in  the  Pali : 

"  All  men  tremble  at  the  rod,  all  men  fear  death  : 
Putting  oneself  in  the  place  of  othera,  kill  not  nor  cause  to  kill." 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

The  clause,  "Putting  oneself  in  the  place  of  others,"  if  trans- 
lated literally,  would  read  "Having  made  oneself  a  likeness." 
Where  the  same  clause  occurs  again  in  the  Pali,  Dr.  Miiller  ren- 
ders it,  "  Doing  as  one  would  be  done  by,"  which  is  far  from  the 
meaning  conveyed  by  the  original,  so  that  the  sentiment  of  the 
Golden  Rule  was  injected  into  the  Buddhist  poem  by  a  translator 
schooled  in  the  teachings  of  Christ. 

Placing  Buddhism  at  its  best  beside  Christian  belief,  Dr.  Ed- 
munds has  made  this  striking  distinction  : 

"The  Buddhist  Nirvana  is  that  of  the  intellect — loss  of  self 
in  the  universe,  the  Christian  Nirvana  is  that  of  the  heart — 
loss  of  self  in  others." 


The  Great-Heart  of  the  Universe 

The  aim  of  this  book  is  to  reach  the  heart  and  life  of  men, 
women  and  children  in  the  simple,  direct  way  approved  by  the 
Master  Himself.  It  makes  no  pretense  to  teaching  history,  theol- 
ogy, or  even  religion.  It  is  meant  to  be  a  Heart-to-heart  Life  of 
Christ.  The  attempt  has  been  made  to  show  one  day's  work  in 
His  daily  round — for  He  had  to  live  a  day  at  a  time  just  as  His 
disciples  do  to-day.  The  famous  Tissot  j)aintiugs  are  a  great 
commentary  on  the  busy,  weary  life  He  led.  Hundreds  of  can- 
vases show  Jesus  of  Nazareth  passing  along  through  immense, 
expectant  throngs,  holding  a  continuous  clinic  in  squares  and 
open  places,  in  striking  illustration  of  the  phrase,  "He  went 
about  doing  good." 

With  moments  of  exultation,  because  of  the  unique  opportunity, 
and  with  days  and  nights  spent  under  the  crushing  consciousness 
of  the  great  responsibility,  The  Story-Life  of  the  Son  of  Man  has 
been  composed.  It  is  a  collection  of  good  things  assembled,  in 
spite  of  all  limitations  in  time  and  ability,  into  one  comparatively 
small  volume,  from  the  great  libraries  of  the  world.  It  is  the 
product  of  the  true  and  devoted  scholarship  of  able  advisers,  and 
the  result  of  many  prayers  of  the  writer's  mother  and  a  wide  cir- 
cle of  godly  women  for  guidance.  Its  thousand  stories,  from 
hundreds  of  sources  often  violently  opposed  to  one  another,  have 
been  reconciled  and  fitted  together  into  a  harmonious  composite, 
even  suggesting  the  aid  of  the  Designer  who  caused  the  materials 


14 


INTRODUCTORY 


composiug  Solomon's  Temple  to  fit  together  without  the  souud  of 
hammer. 

With  such  helpers  aud  under  such  guidance,  the  writer  hopes 
to  have  his  own  long  dream  come  true  in  the  happy  knowledge 
that  some  soul,  hitherto  unblessed,  shall  have  been  led,  through 
reading  this  book  of  many  authors — but  only  one  Authority — to 
say  with  him  : 


I  find  in  His  dear  Brother-face  the  Father's  love  divine; 
The  Heart  that  holds  the  human  race  is  throbbing  close  to  mine; 
My  soul,  enthroned  in  His  embrace,  receives  the  seal  and  sign 
That  owns  me  Heir  of  God  !  " 


The  Greystone,  Germantoivn,  Pennsylvania. 


Follow! ug  are  some  of  the  names  of  authors,  aside  from  the 
ordinary  Scriptural  sources,  quoted  iu  this  Story-Life : 


Lyraan  Abbott, 

Alfred  the  Great, 

Joseph  Augus, 

Mary  Antiu, 

The  Apocryphal  New  Testament, 

Edwiu  Aruold, 

Irving  Bacheller, 

William  E.  Barton, 

Heury  Ward  Beecher, 

C.  A.  Briggs, 

Eleanor  Hammond  Broadus, 

Phillips  Brooks, 

Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning, 

Robert  Browning, 

Charles  Wesley'  Burns, 

Horace  Bushuell, 

James  Freeman  Clarke, 

Arthur  Hugh  Ciough, 

Confucius, 

Marie  Corelli, 

Dante, 

William  J.  Dawson, 

Franz  Delitzsch, 

Thomas  De  Quincey, 

Father  Didon, 

Robert  K.  Douglas, 

Zachary  Eddy, 

Alfred  Edersheim, 

Albert  J.  Edmuuds, 

David  H.  Ela, 

George  Eliot, 

F.  W.  Faber, 

Frederic  W.  Farrar, 

John  Fleetwood, 

William  Byron  Forbush, 

Abb6  Fouard, 

Gautama  the  Buddha, 

Cunningham  Geikie, 

B.  P.  Grenfell, 

George  Herbert, 

J.  G.  Holland, 

Matt  S.  Hughes, 

A.  S.  Hunt, 

J.  H.  Ingraham, 

Josephus, 

Tbeodor  Eeim, 


Thomas  Kelly, 

Thomas  a  Kempis, 

Florence  Morse  Kingsley, 

The  Koran, 

Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow, 

James  Russell  Lowell, 

Martin  Luther, 

W.  D.  Mahau, 

Mazoonidar, 

John  Milton, 

G.  Campbell  Morgan, 

Lydia  M.  von  Fiukelsteiu  Mountford, 

Max  Miiller, 

Johann  August  Wilhelm  Neauder, 

Nicholas  Notovitcb, 

Willis  P.  Odell, 

F.  N,  Peloubet, 

Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps, 

Philo, 

Pliny  the  Younger, 

Alexander  Pope, 

E.  D.  de  Pressens^, 

William  M.  Ramsay, 

Ernest  Renan, 

Royal  Robbius, 

Emil  Schiirer, 

John  R.  Seeley, 

Shakespeare, 

Robert  E.  Speer, 

James  Stalker, 

William  Wetmore  Story, 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe, 

Tacitus, 

Eva  March  Tappan, 

Jeremy  Taylor, 

Alfred  Tennyson, 

Richard  H.  Thomas, 

William  M.  Thomson, 

Godfrey  Thring, 

Lyof  N.  Tolstoi, 

William  Tyndale, 

Herbert  D.  Ward, 

Amos  R.  Wells, 

Bouck  White, 

John  G.  Whittier, 

John  Wycliff*. 


15 


Contents 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Horror  of  Great  Darkness 33 

Stories : — The  Most  Important  Event  in  Our  World — The  Reign  of 
Evil  Reached  Its  Height — Guttered  down  in  the  Socket  Like  a  Burnt- 
out  Candle— Form  without  Heart — No  Distinction  between  Civil 
and  Moral — Priest  for  Religion,  Philosopher  for  Morality — The 
Sad  Condition  of  Woman — Babes  Sold  to  Raise  Money — The  Lot 
of  the  Slave — The  Poor  among  the  Ancients — A  Church  Dying  of 
Ceremony — "  I  Shall  See  Him,  but  Not  Now  " — Writings  Which 
Fired  the  Souls  of  the  People — ^Herod's  Three  Perils — He  Builds  a 
More  Splendid  Temple — When  Hillel  and  Shammai  Taught  in 
Jerusalem — How  Herod  Arranged  for  an  "Honourable"  Mourning. 

CHAPTER  H 

Looking  Tov/ard  the  Light 44 

Stories : — The  Dream  of  a  Jewish  Maiden — The  Fountain  of  the  Virgin 
— A  Priest  Comes  out  of  the  Sanctuary  Speechless — A  Priest  of  the 
Old  for  the  New — The  Dearest  Secret  of  Motherhood — Low  in 
Station  but  of  High  Ancestry — The  Wonderful  Promise  to  Mary — 
The  Most  Tremendous  Revelation  This  Planet  Has  Ever  Known — 
Motherhood  the  Very  Centre  of  Womanhood — She  Arose  and 
Went  into  the  Hill  Country — The  Visit  to  Her  Cousin  Elisabeth 
— Sources  of  Mary's  Song — The  Marseillaise  of  the  Ancient 
World — Those  Hidden  Days  in  Judea — The  Virgin  Returns  to 
Nazareth  and  the  Neighbours — "  His  Name  Is  John." 

CHAPTER  HI 

The  Best  News  the  World  Ever  Heard      ....      55 

Stories: — The  Finger  of  the  Emperor — The  World  to  Be  Enrolled — 
Edict  Reaches  Nazareth — Why  Both  Joseph  and  Mary  Went  to 
Bethlehem — The  Long,  Hard  Journey — No  Room  for  Them  in 
the  Inn — The  Innkeeper's  Lament,  "  If  I  Had  Known  !  " — She 
Brought  forth  Her  First-born  Son — The  Manger  Has  Offended 
Many — "  Mary,  Cover  That  Tender  Baby  Body  !  " — Contrary  to 

17 


18  CONTENTS 

Common  Sense  and  Scripture — The  Virgin's  Lullaby — The  Noise 
and  Bustle  Broke  out  Again — What  the  Shepherds  Saw  and  Heard 
-^The  Only  Melody  of  Heaven  Ever  Heard  by  Mortal  Ears — 
The  Shepherds  Go  and  Find  the  Babe — The  More  Dear  to 
Her  Mother-heart — The  Circumcision  and  Presentation — Free 
from  Physical  Blemish — Not  See  Death  Till  He  Had  Seen  the 
Anointed — Simeon's  Prophecy — "  A  Sword  Shall  Run  through 
Your  Own  Soul  !  " — Aged  Anna  of  Galilee — The  Arrival  of  the 
Wise  Men — Great  Was  the  Surprise — Assembling  the  Prelates — 
Herod  Secludes  the  Wise  Men — "  Lo,  the  Star  !  " — "  By  Whose 
Bright  Course  Led  on  " — "  'Tis  a  Window  of  Paradise  !  " — Find- 
ing the  Child. 

CHAPTER  IV 

Down  into  Egypt 70 

Stories: — The  Wise  Men  Warned — Legends  of  the  Magi — Warning 
to  Joseph — The  Flight  to  Egypt — Murdering  All  the  Baby  Boys — 
"  Better  to  Be  Herod's  Sow  Than  His  Son  !  "—What  Joseph  Must 
Have  Done  in  Egypt — The  Death  of  Herod — "  Out  of  Egypt  " 
— That  He  Should  Be  Called  a  Nazarene — Intended  to  Settle  in 
Bethlehem — Going  Back  to  Nazareth  After  All. 

CHAPTER  V 

Spurious  Stories  of  His  Boyhood 75 

Stories: — Coarse,  Childish  Tales — The  Christ  Child  in  the  Koran — 
His  Baby  Clothes  Cast  out  Devils — "This  Mule  Was  Our  Brother" 
— The  Miraculous  Field  of  Grain — Why  the  Aspen  Leaves  (3uiver 
— Prophecy  Concerning  the  Two  Thieves — How  the  Tall  Palm 
Bowed  down  to  the  Child — The  Broken  Pitcher — Legend  of  Jesus 
and  Judas  as  Boys  Together — The  Dyer's  Distress — The  Misfit 
Throne — Healing  a  Boy  Bitten  by  a  Serpent — The  Boys  Turned 
to  Kids — The  Dead  Lad's  Testimony — The  Clay  Sparrows — The 
Withered  Boy — Striking  a  Boy  Dead — The  Neighbours  Indignant — 
Theory  That  He  Visited  India — The  Concealed  Miracles. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Boy  of  Nazareth 88 

Stories  : — In  Contrast  to  the  Blasphemous  Absurdities  of  the  Apocryphal 
Gospels — Not  under  Excessive  Jewish  Influence — The  Feasts  of  a 
Year — His  Doing  Nothing  Wonderful  Was  a  Kind  of  Wonder — 
Like  His  Brethren  in  All  Things —Unlawful  to  Live  in  a  Place 
Where  There  Was  No  School — A  Jewish  School  in  His  Day — 
He    Must    Have    Been   an    Eager  Scholar — His  First  Teachers — 


CONTENTS  19 

Through  Eye  Gate  and  Ear  Gate — Through  Real  Boyhood  to 
Manly  Manhood — Off  for  a  Ten  Days'  Trip  to  Jerusalem — Their 
First  Camp — Through  Samaria — "  Our  Feet  Shall  Stand  within 
Thy  Gates,  O  Jerusalem!  " — The  Holy  House  Flashed  into  View 
— Under  the  Shadow  of  His  Father's  Temple — Though  a  Country 
Boy,  the  Strange  Sights  Did  Not  Fascinate  Him — A  Supper  of 
Symbols — "  To  Rescue  Israel  from  the  Roman  Yoke  " — The  Boy 
Tarried  Behind — A  Vain  Search — Finding  Him  in  the  Temple — 
"Why  Hast  Thou  Thus  Dealt  with  Us  ?  "—His  Mother  Did 
Not  Understand  Then — Many  a  Boy  Feels  That  Way — Not  Yet ! 

CHAPTER  VII 

Working  at  His  Trade 104 

Stories : — Growing  in  Age  and  Wisdom — Deignedst  to  Be  the  Son 
of  a  Carpenter — Among  the  World's  Workers — Avoided  Rather 
Than  Sought — Mary  in  Her  Hut  and  Livia  in  Her  Palace — The 
Family  Circle  of  Which  He  Was  the  Centre — The  IVaining  of  the 
Carpenter's  Shop — "  A  Workman  That  Needeth  Not  to  Be 
Ashamed  " — The  Same  Trade  with  Me — Nightmare  Terror  Was 
upon  Every  Home — Revolt  of  Judas  the  Gaulonite — "  They  Are 
Speaking  of  You,  My  Son  !  " — Life  and  Death  from  Rome — 
"  The  Eagles  Gathered  Together  "—Pontius  Pilate  Appointed  Proc- 
urator— Their  Hatred  Had  Grown  with  Their  Calamities — So 
Jesus  Worked  Away  for  Nearly  Twenty  Years — Wonderful  That 
He  Could  Wait  So  Long — Master  of  Three  Languages — "  If  We 
Repented  but  One  Day  !  " — News  of  a  Hermit  Like  Elijah. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Voice,  the  Baptism,  the  Temptation    .         .         .         •     "5 

Stories: — In  the  Wilderness  of  Judea — ^John's  Heart  Was  Sad  and 
Drove  Him  forth  from  Men — The  "  Old  Ironsides  "  of  the  New 
Testament — An  Appeal  from  Ritual  to  Conscience — How  Best  the 
Mighty  Work  He  Might  Begin — Like  a  Timid  Child — "  This  Is 
My  Son,  My  Beloved  !  " — The  Son  of  Elisabeth  and  the  Son  of 
Mary — His  Perfect  Manhood  Forbids  Doubt — -"  The  Carpenter 
of  Nazareth!  " — "  Get  Thee  Hence,  Satan!  " — After  the  Opened 
Heavens,  Hell  Was  Opened — By  Divine  Compulsion — Laughter 
as  of  Fiends  among  the  Caverned  Rocks — "  He  Did  Eat  Nothing  " 
— The  Three  Temptations — Meeting  His  Proposals  by  Fitting 
Answers — Satan  Invisible,  as  When  He  Tempts  Us — Christ's 
Temptation  as  Unique  as  Christ's  Character — Was  He  Capable 
of  Sinning  ? — The  Instant  Choice — Never  Deviated  a  Hair's- 
Breadth — The  Desert  Marked  the  Parting  of  the  Ways  for  Jesus 
and  John. 


20  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  Young  Rabbi  Attends  a  Wedding        .         .         .         .128 

Stories: — "Behold  the  Lamb!" — That  Figure  Once  More  Ap- 
peared in  View — "  Behold  What  Manner  of  Man  !  " — Description 
Attributed  to  Lentulus  the  Proconsul — "  Most  Beautiful  to  Be- 
hold ! " — Andrew  Tells  His  Own  Brother  Simon — The  First 
Sunday  Morning  of  Christ's  Mission  Work — Finding  Philip  and 
Nathanael — Change  of  Name  with  Change  of  Heart — "  Symphony 
from  the  New  World  " — Going  Home  with  the  First  Four  Dis- 
ciples— Invited  to  a  Wedding  —  Marriage  Customs — What  Cost 
Him  So  Dear  to  Deny — "  Woman,  What  Have  I  to  Do  with 
Thee  ?  " — In  a  Few  Words  All  Was  Disclosed — "  Crowd  Eternity 
into  an  Hour  " — Alike  Only  in  Name— A  Week  of  Music  and 
Dancing — The  Central  Figure  of  the  Feast — They  All  Visit  Caper- 
naum— Young,  Gracious,  Fascinating — The  Eternal  Is  Not  the 
Future,  but  the  Unseen. 

CHAPTER  X 

To  Jerusalem  and  Back 14a 

Stories : — Graft  in  the  Temple — Cornering  the  Market  of  the  Sac- 
rifices— Driving  out  Market  Men  and  Brokers — Burning  with 
Noble  Indignation — Consternation  in  the  Temple — "  Show  Us  the 
Sign  and  Seal  of  Your  Authority  !  " — He  Left  Them  to  Think 
It  Over — When  the  First  Shadow  of  the  Cross  Fell  on  Him 
— Many  Believed — All  the  People  Hung  upon  His  Words — Nico- 
demus's  Night  Visit — His  Supposed  Account  of  the  Interview — 
Pharisees  Already  Jealous  of  Jesus — He  Took  the  Short  Route 
through  Samaria — He  Must  Have  Started  in  the  Early  Morning — 
The  Story  of  Sychar — The  Sacred  Mount  of  the  Samaritans — 
Waiting  in  Weariness  at  the  Well — That  Sublime  Sermon  to  One 
Abandoned  Woman — "  I  Have  Food  to  Eat  " — The  Good  News 
in  Samaria — The  Baptist's  Testimony — At  Cana  Again — Reviving 
the  Nobleman's  Son. 

CHAPTER  XI 

Driven  from  the  Home  Town 157 

Stories: — Nazareth  Friends  Already  Jealous  of  Him — Going  to  the 
Home  Church — Opening  the  Service — "  What  Can  He  Have  to 
Say  ?  "— «  To-day  This  Scripture  Is  Fulfilled  !  "—His  Daring 
Assumption  Startled  Them — "  Nobody  but  Jesus  the  Carpenter!" 
— A  Roar  of  Rage — Was  It  Possible  ? — As  if  Smitten  of  God — 
Leaving  the  Home  of  His  Childhood — Preaching  in  the  Neigh- 
bourhood— Family  Estrangement — The  Galileans  Welcomed  Him — 
He  Went  to  Live  in  Capernaum — Accepting  Peter's  Invitation. 


CONTENTS  21 

CHAPTER  XII 

A  Day's  Work  in  Capernaum 167 

Stories ; — Restoring  a  Maniac  to  His  Right  Mind — A  Paroxysm 
Seized  the  Crazy  Man — Outside  the  Synagogue—"  Turn  Your 
Eyes  Away  !  You  Will  Be  Bewitched  " — "  He  Is  Coming  !  He 
Is  Coming!" — The  Benign  Figure  of  the  Great  Physician — They 
Tell  Him  of  Peter's  Mother-in-law — A  Violent  Attack  of  the 
Local  Fever — A  Paralysed  Man  Carried  by  Four  Friends — He 
Was  Lowered  Carefully—"  Rabbi,  Rabbi !  a  Sick  Man  Is  Com- 
ing down  !  " — "  My  Child,  Thy  Sins  Are  Forgiven  " — All  Eyes 
and  Ears — The  Effect  Was  Electric — "  This  Evening,  down  at 
the  Shore  !  " — A  Great  Crowd  Followed  Him  about — The  Ex- 
citement Increased — They  Crawled  and  Crowded  to  His  Feet — 
Offended  at  the  Popular  Favour  Shown  to  Jesus — They  Knew  He 
Was  the  Christ — The  Treasures  They  Had  Almost  Lost — No  Re- 
pose to  Body  or  Mind — Silent  Communion  with  the  Father — "  My 
Father  Works,  and  I  Work." 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Saving  the  Sabbath 180 

Stories  :^T\\Q  Man  at  Bethesda  Bath — Watching  by  Day  and  Listen- 
ing through  the  Night — For  This  Reason  They  Began  to  Perse- 
cute Jesus — Cited  before  Authorities  for  the  First  Time — "  If  You 
Believed  Moses  You  Would  Believe  Me  " — "  It  Is  You,  Not  I, 
Who  Break  the  Sabbath  " — Picking  and  Eating  Grain  on  the  Sab- 
bath— Fivefold  Damnation  on  Those  Who  Do  This — Defending 
His  Disciples,  Not  Himself— The  Man  with  the  Withered  Hand 
— Tradition  That  This  Man  Was  a  Stone  Mason  —  Not  to  Wear 
Even  a  Needle  on  the  Sabbath — Ridiculous  Regulations — Foolish 
Quibble  about  Carrying  a  Handkerchief — He  Found  It  a  Law  and 
Left  It  a  Privilege — "The  Sabbath  Was  Made  for  Man." 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Going  about  Galilee  with  the  Twelve         ....     192 

Stories: — Left  All,  and  Followed  Him — "Depart  from  Me!"  Yet 
Let  Me  Stay — Choosing  a  Publican — A  Tax  Collector  Gives  up 
His  Position — Matthew's  Farewell  Reception^r- Celebrating  a 
Unique    Event — "  Those  Who    Are    Healthy    Do    Not    Need    a 

Physician" — "Tax-gatherers  and— !  "— "  The  Lost"  Are 

Not  Lost  to  Him — "  Can  the  Sons  of  the  Bride-Chamber  Fast  ?  " — 
Old  Garments  and  Old  Wine-Skins — New  Wine  Already  Bursting 
Their  Old  Bottles — Going  about.  Preaching  and  Healing— A  Re- 
gion  of  Energy  and    Prosperity — Men    Obeyed  without    Under- 


22  CONTENTS 

standing  Him — Preaching  to  the  Crowds  from  a  Boat  Pulpit — A 
Boat  Followed  Him  along  the  Shore — What  Was  It  Ye  Went  out 
to  See  ? — Founding  a  Kingdom  on  Personal  Love — The  Happiest 
Time  in  His  Mother's  Life — Admiration  Melted  into  Adoration — 
He  Chose  Twelve  Whom  He  Named  Apostles — The  Four  Lists  of 
the  Twelve  Compared — Where  Each  of  Them  Had  Lived — Illiter- 
ate but  Not  Ignorant — The  Sea  of  Galilee. 

CHAPTER  XV 

The  Sermon,  the  Prayer,  and  the  Rule       ....     206 

Stories: — Going  to  Hear  the  Young  Rabbi  Preach — "  Blesseds  "  and 
"  Woes  " — The  Beginning  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  — The 
Beatitudes  a  Bill  of  Rights — "  Woe  unto  You  of  Whom  *  The  Sys- 
tem '  Speaks  Well !  " — The  Salt  and  the  Light — Against  Vows  and 
Retaliation — "  Resist  Not  Evil  !  " — The  Lord's  Prayer  in  Old 
Saxon,  by  Alfred  the  Great — From  Wycliffe's  Bible — Tyndale's 
Translation — From  Luther's  Bible — From  the  Roman  Catholic 
Bible— For  All  Races,  All  Ages— Ask,  Seek,  Knock,  for  God  Is 
Willing — The  Golden  Rule — Hillel's  Noble  Answer  Misleading — 
"  A  New  Spirit,  Making  the  Letter  New  " — The  Golden  Rule  of 
Confucius — Like  a  Man  of  Authority — -He  Alone  Had  Sight. 

CHAPTER  XVI 

A  Hopeless  Leper,  a  Captain's  Slave,  and  a  Widow's  Son     217 

Stories  : — His  First  Healing  of  a  Leper — The  Worst  Form — The 
Friendly  Roman  Officer — He  Told  the  Centurion  He  Would  Come 
— The  Wonderful  Faith  of  a  Foreigner — "  J  Have  Not  Found  Such 
Faith  Even  in  Israel  " — Nearing  the  Town  of  Nain — "  What  Is 
the  Rabbi  Doing  ?  " — "  Young  Man,  I  Say,  Arise  !  " — "  Lord 
God  of  Israel,  What  Kind  of  Man  Is  This  ? '"— The  Dead  Youth 
Returns  Alive — Her  Joy  Out-Thanks  All  Words. 

CHAPTER  XVII 

Pharisee  and  Sadducee 225 

Stories: — The  Slighted  Guest  and  the  Woman — Could  the  Rabbi 
Say  That  ? — -What  Social  Outcasts  Saw  in  Him — "  Separa- 
tists "  and  "  Neighbours  " — They  Gave  Stones  for  Bread — Not 
Strong  in  Numbers  nor  in  Courage — "  In  Hand-Washing  Is  the 
Secret  of  the  Ten  Commandments  " — Real  Defilement — "  Hypo- 
crites !  Acting  Religion  !  " — Christ's  True  Attitude — "  A  House 
Divided  against  Itself!  " — "  By  Whom  Do  Your  Disciples  Cast 
Them  out  ?  " — "  We  Would  See  a  Sign  from  Thee  " — "  Woes  " 
against  Them  While  at  Breakfast  'with  Them — "  Their  Tombs 
Are  a  Witness  against  You  " — The  Party  of  Protest — The  Aristo- 


CONTENTS  S3 

cratic  Sadducees — Conspiring  to  Destroy  Him — The  Sadducec 
Joined  with  the  Hated  Pharisee — Be  Fair  to  the  Pharisee — Yet  I 
May  Live  a  Pharisee  ! 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

Parables  beside  the  Lake 240 

Stories : — From  the  Prow  of  a  Lightly  Rocking  Boat — A  New 
Form  of  Discourse — He  Taught  Them  Many  Things  in  Parables 
— "  The  Sower  Went  out  to  Sow  " — Explaining  the  Parable  to 
the  Disciples — The  Wheat  and  the  Weeds — Expounding  "  the 
Wheat  and  the  Weeds  " — "  He  Knoweth  Not  How  " — "  Like  a 
Grain  of  Mustard  Seed  " — Like  Leaven — The  Lamp — The  Hidden 
Treasure — One  Pearl  of  Great  Price — The  Net  Filled  with  Good 
and  Bad — 'Things  New  and  Old — The  Most  Precious  Literary 
Heritage  of  the  Human  Race. 

CHAPTER  XIX 

Calming  a  Storm,  and  Other  Wonders       ....     247 

Stories: — Leaving  the  Crowd — The  Strain  Had  Been  Severe  That 
Day — A  Sudden  Storm  on  the  Lake — "  Peace,  Be  Still  !  " — 
The  Maniac  among  the  Tombs  of  Gadara — Bleeding  with  Self- 
inflicted  Wounds — "  Legion  "  and  the  Herd  of  Hogs — "  Go 
Home  and  Tell  What  God  Hath  Done  for  You  "—The  First 
Missionary  to  Decapolis — The  Agonising  Appeal  of  Jairus — 
Stopped  on  the  Way  by  an  Afflicted  Woman — "  If  I  Can  Just 
Touch  His  Robe  !  " — She  Only  Touched  the  Hem — Tradition 
Concerning  This  Woman — "  Thy  Daughter  Is  Dead  !  " — "  It  Is 
Between  Me  and  Thee,  Little  Maid  " — Two  Blind  Men  and  a 
Dumb  Demon. 

CHAPTER  XX 

"  None  Greater  Than  John  the  Baptist  "    .         .         .         .     257 

Stories: — John  Reproves  Herod  —  His  Grand  Humility — "Art  Thou 
the  Coming  One  ?  " — Dreary  Days  for  John — Instructions  to  the 
Twelve — A  Source  of  Alarm  as  Well  as  of  Insult — A  Ghastly 
Birthday  Banquet — Bearing  the  Headless  Body  to  the  Burying — 
Haunted  by  the  Remembrance  of  His  Victim — No  Man  Was  Wit- 
ness to  Those  Hours  of  Grief — Vague  Rumours  of  the  New  Prophet. 

CHAPTER  XXI 
Even  Galilee  Turns  against  Him 266 

Stories  : — Many  Believ^ed  He  Was  the  Prophet — "  He  Is  Beside  Him- 
self! " — It  Was  a  Year  of  Sore  Trial — "  Who  Are  My  Mother  and 
Brethren  .? '' — The  Group  and  the  Throng — A  Great  Wrong  to  the 


24  CONTENTS 

Name  of  Mary  of  Magdala — No  Opportunity  Even  to  Eat — 
"  How  Many  Loaves  Have  You  ? " — "  Make  the  Men  Sit 
down  " — Feasting  Five  Thousand  Men,  besides  Women  and 
Children — A  Crown  on  His  Dear  Head — "  O  Little  Faith !  Why 
Didst  Thou  Doubt  ? " — The  News  Spread  Far  and  Near — They 
Laid  Their  Sick  in  the  Marketplaces — Flocking  around  Him  for 
the  Healing  Touch — Teaching  the  Lesson  of  the  Bread  of  Life — A 
Higher  Food  Than  Barley  Loaves — The  Miracle  Had  Ceased  to 
Be  a  Wonder— Struck  the  Fatal  Blow  at  His  Own  Popularity — 
Synagogues  No  Longer  Open  to  Him — "  Are  You  Also  Willing  to 
Go  Away  ?  " — GaHlee  Rejects  the  Gospel — "  Come  unto  Me, 
All  Ye  That  Labour  and  Are  Heavy  Laden." 

CHAPTER  XXII 

A  Fugitive  with  His  Little  Flock 283 

Stories: — The  Glass  and  Dye  Works  of  Sidon  and  Tyre — The 
Faith  of  a  Gentile  Woman — God  Has  Not  Forgotten  Us  Gentiles — 
He  Resumed  His  Journey — Working  Miracles  in  Decapolis — 
''  Even  the  Deaf  Hear,  and  the  Dumb  Speak  !  " — A  Deaf  Man 
Who  Could  Only  Stammer — Feasting  the  Four  Thousand — Dif- 
ference between  the  Two  Miraculous  Meals — "  You  Cannot  Dis- 
cern the  Signs  of  the  Times  " — The  Sign  Would  Be  Given  Only 
Too  Soon — "  Blessed  Art  Thou,  Simon,"  "  Peter  !  " — The  Very 
Christ  of  God — The  Elevation  of  the  Son  of  Man — Foretelling 
His  Death—"  Out  of  My  Sight,  Thou  Tempter  !  "—The  Sublime 
Transformation — A  Gentle  Touch  Aroused  Them — The  Chosen 
Three,  on  Mountain  Height — "  How  Is  It  That  Elijah  Must  First 
Come  ?  "— "  I  Believe,  Lord,  Help  My  Unbelief!  "—With  Strong 
and  Gentle  Hand — "  Give  to  Them  for  Me  and  Thee  " — "  Lest 
We  Give  Offence  " — A  Sermon  on  Humility — A  Talk  on  Forgive- 
ness— This  Spirit  Is  the  Salt  of  the  Soul. 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

Harvest  Home  Week  in  Jerusalem      .....     301 

Stories: — Their  Thanksgiving  Week — The  Feast  of  Tabernacles — 
"  If  You  Can  Do  Such  Great  Things,  Prove  It  to  the  World  !  " — 
The  Authorities  on  the  Lookout  for  Him — "  You're  Mad  !  Who's 
Trying  to  Kill  You  ?  "— "  Thou  Hast  a  Devil  !  "—The  Great 
Day  of  the  Feast — One  Faint  Voice  in  His  Defence — Thousands  Were 
Chained  with  Awe  at  His  Words — The  Woman  Caught  in  Adultery 
—  Not  Their  Business  to  Accuse  Her — Why  Did  He  Write  upon  the 
Ground  ? — His  Words  Went  to  Their  Consciences — "  The  Light 
of  the  World  " — "  You  Look  at  Me  with  Jaundiced  Eyes  " — 
"  Whom  Makest  Thou  Thyself?  "— "  We  Were  Never  Slaves  to 
Any  Man  " — "  Every  Man  That  Committeth  Sin  Is  the  Servant  of 
Sin  "— "  Before  Abraham  Was  Born,  I  AM  !  " 


CONTENTS  26 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

Leaving  Galilee,  a  Homeless  Wanderer    ....     315 

Stories: — He  Set  His  Face  to  Go  to  Jerusalem — •*  Thev  Deserve  to 
Be  Killed  by  a  Thunder-Storm!"— "  The  Son  of  Man  Hath  Not 
Where  to  Lay  His  Head  " — Sending  oat  the  Seventy— The 
Charge  of  the  King — "  The  Labourer  Is  Worthy  of  His  Hire  " — ■ 
"  Blessed  Are  the  Eyes  That  See  What  You  Have  Seen  !  " — He 
Saw  Good  Multiplied  through  Others—"  Who  Is  My  Neigh- 
bour ?  " — The  Story  of  the  Neighbourly  Samaritan — A  Pharisee's 
Opinion  of  the  Parable — In  the  Home  at  Bethany —  Jesus  Loved 
Martha  and  Her  Sister — The  Man  Born  Blind  Browbeaten  by 
Pharisees—"  One  Thing  I  Know  "— "  If  Ye  Were  Blind,  Ye 
Should  Have  No  Sin  " — -The  Terrible  Consequences  of  Being 
Cast  out  of  the  Synagogue — The  Story  of  the  Loving  Shepherd — 
An  Interpretation  of  the  Parable — The  Last  Anniversary  of  His 
Birth — ^Jesus  at  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication. 

CHAPTER  XXV 

Again  a  Refugee 331 

Stories  : — The  Jordan  between  Him  and  His  Persecutors  — Crowds 
Followed  Him  Even  in  Perea — **  The  Last  State  Is  Worse  Than 
the  First  "—The  Story  of  the  Rich  Fool—"  This  Night  Thy  Soul 
Shall  Be  Required  !  " — Wealth  Not  a  Crime  but  a  Trust — Trust 
the  Father  and  Be  Ready — Much  Required  from  Those  to  Whom 
Much  Has  Been  Given — Exciting  Times  in  Galilee — How  Pilate 
Put  an  End  to  an  Uprising — When  the  Tower  of  Siloam  Fell — 
Those  Eighteen  Were  Not  Special  Offenders— Straightens  a 
Woman  Doubled  Together  for  Eighteen  Years — "  Lord,  Are  They 
Few  That  Are  Saved  ?  " — A  New  Danger  Threatened  Him — "  It 
Would  Not  Do  for  a  Prophet  to  Be  Murdered  Except  at  Jerusa- 
lem !  " — He  Saw  through  the  Whole  Design — A  Sabbath  Dinner 
with  a  Leading  Pharisee — No  Time  for  Moral  Snobs — Counting 
the  Cost — *'  Lift  up  Your  Eyes  and  Look  on  the  Fields ! " 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

The  Parables  in  Perea,  and  Other  Sayings         .         .         .     345 

Stories : — The  One  Lost  Lamb — The  Loving  Father  and  His  Wander- 
ing Boy — Shows  the  Love  of  God  to  Man — The  Steward  of  Un- 
righteousness— The  Beggar  and  the  Rich  Man — Dives  Awoke  to 
the  Mistake  He  Had  Made—"  We  Are  Only  Unprofitable 
Slaves  !  " — The  Kingdom  Is  in  Your  Midst — The  Pharisee  and  the 
Publican^One  Went  to  Brag,  the  Other  to  Pray — "  Whatever  Is 
Right  I  Will  Pay  You  " — "  No  Duties  without  Rights,  No  Rights 
without  Duties  " — The  Parable  of  the  Pounds  and  the  Cities — 
"  Which  of  the  Two  Did  His  Father's  Will  ? "— "  This  Is  the 
Heir,  Come,  Let  Us  Kill  Him  !  " — The   Marriage  Feast  and  the 


26  CONTENTS 

Wedding  Garment — The  Story  of  the  Ten  Maidens — The  Good- 
for-Nothing  Servant — "  For  the  Least  of  These  Brothers  of  Mine  " 
— For  the  Good  or  Evil  Side — New-Found  Sayings  of  Jesus— The 
Fragment  of  a  Lost  Gospel — Nor  Did  It  Lessen  What  He  Taught, 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

Calling  Lazarus  Back 363 

Stories .- — A  Gap  of  Untold  Events — "  Lazarus  Is  Dead  !  " — Going 
Back  into  the  Jaw^s  of  Danger — Why  ?  Why  ?  Why  ? — Past  Power 
of  Speech — "If  Thou  Hadst  Been  Here  !  " — Jesus  Wept — Martha 
and  Mary  Could  Not  Understand  Each  Other — No  One  Stirred 
or  Spoke — "  Lazarus,  Come  forth  !  " — Great  God  of  Our  People, 
What  a  Sight! — Frenzied  with  the  Thrill  of  It — "Where  Wert 
Thou,  Brother  ?  " — Conspired  to  Seize  Lazarus  and  Smother  Him 
— Wild  Legends  about  Lazarus. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 

A  Fugitive  Once  More 373 

Stories  : — "  If  We  Let  Him  Go  on  Like  This,  Every  One  Will  Believe 
in  Him  !  " — To  Prove  a  Miracle  Is  to  Prove  It  Was  Not  a  Miracle — 
"  Go,  Show  Yourselves  to  the  Priests  !  " — "  But  Where  Are  the 
Nine?" — A  Schoolof  Magic  Would  Have  Been  the  Issue — On  Mar- 
riage and  Divorce — "  God  Made  Man  and  Woman  at  the  Same 
Time  " — Children  Saw  in  Him  One  of  Themselves — "  Let  the  Lit- 
tle Ones  Come  to  Me  " — "  Lat  the  Wee  Bairns  Coom  tae  Me  " — A 
Certain  Rich  Young  Man — Wished  to  Join  His  Church — "  The  Great 
Refusal  " — "  How  Hard  for  the  Rich  to  Get  into  the  Kingdom  !  " 
— Timidity  and  Stupidity  of  Wealth — Telling  the  Disciples  Again 
What  Was  before  Them— A  Joy  in  His  Eyes — Mistaken  Ambition 
of  Salome  for  Her  Sons — In  the  Region  of  Jericho — Going  to  Lodge 
with  Zacchsus — "  Son  of  David,  Have  Mercy  on  Me  !  " — "  Fear 
Not,  Arise,  He  Calleth  Thee  !  " — Would  He  Come  up  to  the  Feast  ? 
— The  Supper  in  Bethany — The  Most  Touching  Expression  of  Love 
He  Ever  Received — One  Deep  Love  Doth  Supersede  All  Other. 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

Last  Days  in  His  Father's  House 390 

Stories: — No  More  Precious  Possession — "  Behold,  Thy  King  Is 
Coming  !  " — The  Whole  Multitude  Began  to  Rejoice — The  People 
and  the  Pharisees — "  Give  Victory,  O  God,  to  the  Son  of  David  !  " 
—The  Choir  Invisible—"  O  That  Thou  Hadst  Known  !  "—The 
Scene  Overpowered  Even  Himself — After  Looking  around  in  the 
Temple — What  Would  Have  Happened  ? — Blasting  a  Fig-tree — His 
Only  Miracle  of  Judgment — Is  Modern  Religion  "  the  Barren  Fig- 
tree  ? " — The  Children  in  the  Temple—"  By  Whose  Authority  ?  " 
— "  I  Will  Ask  You  One  Question  " — The  Sadducees  Try  to  Entrap 
Him— The     Pharisees    and    Herodians — "  Render    to   Cssar    the 


CONTENTS  2Y 

Things  That  Are  Caesar's  " — A  Scribe  Who  Was  Not  Far  from 
the  Kingdom — They  Dared  Not  Ask  Him  Another  Question — 
Gifts  with  a  Commercial  Value  in  the  Future  World — The  Poor 
Widow's  Farthing — The  Others  Cast  Away,  She  Only  Gave — 
"  Sir,  We  Wish  to  See  Jesus  " — The  jews  Reject  Their  Messiah — 
Judaism  Had  Chosen  Its  Own  Way — Warnings  of  the  End  of  the 
Temple,  and  of  the  World — A  Last  Sad  Look  of  Quenchless  Pity — 
"  Not  One  Stone  Left  upon  Another!  " — "  After  Two  Days  the 
Son  of  Man  Is  to  Be  Delivered  up  !  " 

CHAPTER  XXX 
The  Basest  Conspiracy  of  All 410 

Stories: — The  Terrible  Night-Study  of  Judas — From  De  Quincey's 
Apology — Conspiring  with  the  Priests — "  The  Price  of  a  Slave  !  " 
— Did  Jesus  Suspect  the  Treachery  ? — Preparing  for  the  Passover — 
The  Young  Man  with  the  Water-pot — Getting  Ready  to  Eat  the 
Passover  Together — "  Where  Is  the  Guest  Chamber  ?  " — The 
Ceremonial  of  Slaving  the  Lamb — Judas  May  Have  Gone  from  the 
Market  to  the  Palace — "  That  Furtive  Mien,  That  Scowling  Eye  " 
— "  Ingratitude  More  Strong  Than  Traitor's  Arms  " — A  Sin  against 
the  Human  Heart — Yet  Not  Altogether  Bad — To  Undo  What  He 
Had  Done — "  I  Am  Lost  —  Lost !  " — Can  There  Be  Compassion 
for  the  Betrayer  of  the  Christ  ? — "  Went  to  His  Own  Place." 

CHAPTER  XXXI 

The  Last  Supper — and  the  First 422 

Stories : — "  I  Have  Yearned  to  Eat  This  with  You  !  " — We  Did  Not 
Know  Then  What  the  Master  Meant  " — His  Only  Passover  Sacri- 
fice— Striving  for  the  Best  Places — ^Judas  Obtained  the  Chief  Seat — 
above  the  Master  ! — A  Picture  of  Their  Arrangement  at  Table — 
An  Illustrated  Lesson  in  Humility — "  He  That  Is  Greatest,  Let 
Him  Be  the  Servant  !  " — What  Was  the  Idea  of  God  in  This  ? — 
"  One  of  You  Shall  Betray  Me  !  " — Anything  Seemed  Possible  Then 
— "  Is  It  I,  Rabbi  ?  "—Judas  Went  out — "  And  It  Was  Night  " — 
Relieved  of  Some  Ghastly  Incubus— The  Last  Supper  Is  Made  the 
First — Another  Wine,  Another  Feast — Paul's  Account  of  the  Lord's 
Supper — What  Did  Jesus  See  ? — Sifting  the  Disciples — "  Yet  a  Little 
While" — Peter  Was  Sorely  Distressed — "  Look!  Here  Are  Two 
Swords" — How  He  Happened  to  Have  the  Sword — Beautiful  Words 
Broke  the  Sacred  Stillness — "  Let  Not  Your  Hearts  Be  Troubled" 
m  the  Language  of  WyclifFe — "  I  Am  Going  Back  to  the  Father  " 
— The  Prayer  of  Intercession — The  House  of  the  Last  Supper — 
Jesus  Joining  in  the  Hymn — Excitement  among  the  Church  Au- 
thorities— So  They  Came  to  Gethsemane. 

CHAPTER  XXXH 

Agony,  Betrayal,  Arrest 442 

Stories ; — A  Place  Named  Gethsemane — Pre-eminently  His  Passion— 


28  CONTENTS 

Being  in  Agony  He  Prayed — No  Fear  for  Himself  Caused  His 
Anguish — "  Not  Able  to  Watch  One  Hour  ?  " — Returning  the 
Third  Time — The  Loftiest  Courage — 'Tis  Midnight  in  the  Garden 
Now — "  Hail,  Rabbi  !  "  and  Kissed  Him  Much — "  Dost  Thou 
Betray  the  Son  of  Man  ?  " — ^Judas  Was  Afraid — "  Whom  Are  You 
Looking  for  ?  " — As  a  Good  Shepherd  Stands  forth — Taxes  Them 
with  Cowardice — Twice  Repelled  by  the  Glory  of  His  Person — 
"  Excuse  Me  This  Once  " — A  Knight  among  Knaves — The 
Naked  Young  Man — The  Disciples  Disappear  among  the  Trees — 
The  Jewish  Senate  Greatly  Agitated. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 
The  Great  Church  Trial 451 

Stories: — Taken  before  Annas — The  Late  High  Priest — Through 
John's  Influence  Peter  Was  Admitted — In  a  Trap — "  Art  Thou 
One  of  This  Man's  Disciples  ?  " — In  Mortal  Terror — **  I  Have 
Spoken  Openly  to  the  World  " — "  Answerest  Thou  the  High  Priest 
So  ?  " — Scouring  the  City  to  Get  Their  Senate  Together — The 
False  Witnesses  Disagree — That  Majestic  Silence — "Art  Thou  the 
Christ  ?  " — "  Thou  Hast  Said  !  " — Reverberating  down  the  Ages — 
Caiaphas  Played  His  Part  Well — "  Blasphemy  !  He  Is  a  Man  of 
Death  !  "— "  Man,  I  Don't  Know  What  You're  Talking  about  !  " 
— Stung  with  Unutterable  Anguish — The  Saviour  Looked  on  Peter — 
The  Remorse  of  Judas — "I  Have  Sinned,  He  Is  Innocent!" — 
Peter  Never  Slept  Past  the  Hour  of  His  Shame — "  Prophesy  ! 
Who  Struck  Thee  ?  " — The  Judges  Separated  for  an  Hour  or  Two 
of  Sleep — They  Disagreed  among  Themselves — Scene  of  the  Tem- 
ple Trial — Before  the  Sanhedrin — Leading  Their  Own  Messiah  in 
Chains. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 

Suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate 464 

Stories: — That  Morning  in  the  Prstorium — Pilate  Knew  Them  Well 
— "  What  Accusation  Do  You  Bring  against  This  Man  ?  "• — "  If 
He  Were  Not  a  Great  Offender  We  Would  Not  Deliver  Him  up 
to  You  " — Sent  over  to  Herod's  Palace — Herod  Treated  Jesus  as  if 
He  Were  a  Juggler — Remained  Silent  That  the  Baptist  Might  Be 
Heard — Back  to  Pilate — A  Crowd  Had  Gathered  Meanwhile — 
Cross-questioned  in  Private  bv  Pilate — "  My  Kingdom  Is  Not  of 
This  World  "— "  What  Shall  I  Do  to  Jesus  Who  Is  Called  the 
Christ  ?  "— "  Not  This  Man,  but  Barabbas  !  "—A  Thrill  of  Horror 
through  the  Heart  of  Humanity — He  Should  Have  Been  Protected 
from  the  Jews — Crowned  with  Thorns — ^A  Mock  Coronation — "  I 
Have  Power  to  Crucify  Thee  "— "  Behold  the  Man  !  "—What  a 
Sight  It  Was  !— "  Shall  I  Crucify  Your  King  .?  "— "  We  Have  No 
King  but  CcBsar  !  " — "  The  Intermediate  Death  " — From  Indignity 
to  Indignity — So  Solemn  That  the  Very  Hour  Is  Given. 


CONTENTS  9f 

CHAPTER  XXXV 

There  They  Crucified  Him 476 

Stories: — "  Go,  Soldier,  Get  Ready  the  Cross  !  " — Hurried  Straight 
from  the  Judgment  Seat — The  Cross  Too  Horrible  for  a  Roman 
Even  to  Think  of — The  Terrible  Preparations — Led  out  to  Die — 
The  Revolting  Task  of  Simon  of  Cyrene — "  Daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
Weep  Not  for  Me  !  " — Far  Different  His  Tears  from  Theirs — 
"  What  I  Have  Written  I  Have  Written  " — This  Is  What  Would 
Become  of  a  Jewish  King  ! — Nothing  Could  Be  More  Unjust  Than 
This  Title — Forced  by  the  Sneering  Inscription  to  Go  on  with  the 
Crowd — The  Centurion  Gave  the  Fatal  Signal — "  Father,  Forgive 
Them,  for  They  Know  Not  What  They  Do ! " — Refusing  the  Drink 
— Fastened  to  the  Torture-Tree — A  General  Forward  Movement 
to  See  the  Cross  Set  up — The  Great  Cross  with  Love  Transfixed 
upon  It — The  Nail  That  Held  Him  up — Taunts  in  the  Midst  of 
Torture — The  Multitude  Roared  Applause  and  Laughter — Why 
Did  He  Not  Reprove  Them  ? — The  Motive  of  Their  Derision — 
Was  He  Tempted  on  the  Cross  ? — He  Saw  Faces  of  Those  Who 
Had  Believed  in  Him — Gambling  for  the  Seamless  Garment — 
Amusement  and  Profit  to  the  Soldiers — The  "  Stations"  of  the  Cross. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI 

Even  the  Death  of  the  Cross 491 

Stories .— "  Art  Thou  the  Christ  ?  Save  Thyself  and  Us  !  "—The 
Repenting  Robber's  "  Remember  Me  !  " — Did  John  Bring  Mary 
for  the  Last  Mournful  Farewell  ?— "  Behold  Thy  Son  !  Behold 
Thy  Mother  !  "—His  Words  Were  Few  but  Thoughtful— Stood 
the  Afflicted  Mother  Weeping — A  Voice  Pulsating  with  the  Keen- 
est Anguish—"  My  God  !  Why  Didst  Thou  Forsake  Me  ?  " — Ah 
God,  What  a  Cry  ! — "  Into  Thy  Hands  I  Commend  My  Spirit  !  " 
— "  It  Is  Finished  !  " — The  Seven  "  Words  "  from  the  Cross — 
"  Truly  This  Was  a  Son  of  God  !  " — ^John  Led  the  Mother  Away 
— No  Woman  Was  Ever  Unkind  to  Jesus — Not  She  ! — When  Man 
Is  Silent,  Nature  Speaks — "  They  Shall  Look  on  Him  Whom  They 
Pierced  " — Then  the  Ghastly  Work  Began — He  Had  Died  of  a 
Broken  Heart — The  Hurried  Burial— In  a  New  Tomb — Rest  in 
Thy  Glory,  Noble  Founder  ! — Sealing  and  Guarding  the  Tomb — 
Left  to  Sleep  through  the  Sabbath — How  He  Triumphed  over  the 
Cruelty  and  Shame  of  It  All — The  Greatest  Crime  in  History. 

CHAPTER  XXXVH 

Legends  Sacred'and  Profane 506 

Stories: — The  Letter  of  Abgarusto  Jesus — Reply  Said  to  Have  Been 
Written  by  the  Christ — The  Portrait  Sent  to  Abgarus — The  Wan- 
dering Jew — Veronica  and  the  Handkerchief  Portrait — The  King  of 


30  CONTENTS 

Glory  Enters  through  the  Gates  of  Hell — CcPsar  Commands  Pilate 
to  Send  the  Great  Physician  to  Heal  Him — Pilate's  Excuse — Con- 
demned to  the  Most  Ignominious  Death — What  They  Did  with 
Pilate's  Body — All  That  Josephus  Relates  about  Jesus. 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII 
The  Brightness  of  His  Rising 513 

Stories : — As  It  Began  to  Dawn — Waiting  for  the  First  Streak  of  Easter 
Light—"  Death  Is  Dead  ;  Life  Is  Eternal !  "—The  Great  Disk  Stirred 
in  Its  Groove — Sublimely  Beautiful  He  Stood — "  Walking  in  His 
Garden  in  the  Cool  of  the  Day  " — Strange  Things  the  Women  Saw 
— "  Behold,  the  Stone  Had  Been  Rolled  away  !  " — What  John  and 
Peter  Saw — Who  Could  Have  Removed  the  Body  ? — Mary  Magda- 
lene Lingers  Near  the  Tomb — "  Mary  !  " — It  Seemed  to  Them  but 
Idle  Talk — The  News  Spread  Fast — Bribing  the  Soldiers  Who  Had 
Guarded  the  Grave — Their  Only  Refuge  Seemed  to  Be  in  Lies — 
"We  Have  Crucified  a  Man,  but  We  Could  Not  Slay  a  God  !  " — 
Arguments  on  the  Resurrection — "  The  Lord  Is  Risen  Indeed  I  " 

CHAPTER  XXXIX 

Appearances  of  the  Risen  Lord 525 

Stories: — The  "Traveler  Unknown"  on  the  Road  to  Emmaus — 
What  of  the  Great  New  Hope  of  the  Kingdom  ? — Standing  in  Their 
Midst — Thomas  the  Twin  Was  Not  There — The  Convincing  of 
Thomas — "  Thou  Art  My  God  Indeed  !  " — The  Reconfirming  of 
Peter—"  They  Will  Lead  You  Where  You  Would  Not  Go  "— 
"  Lo,  I  Am  with  You  Alway  !  " — "  On  Thee  Has  the  Lord  a  Great 
Work  to  Complete  " — Carried  up  into  Heaven — Twelve  Manifesta- 
tions after  He  Arose  from  the  Dead — Paul's  Summary  of  the  Appear- 
ances— He  Has  Left  Us  a  Rich  World  of  Thoughts — Closing  Words 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel — So  Ends  the  Gospel  of  the  King — He  Has 
Left  Us  the  August  Opportunity  of  Everlasting  Life — Heaven's 
Golden  Day  Has  Broken  ! 

CHAPTER  XL 

The  Son  of  Man  and  God 537 

Stories : — The  Fourfold  Gospel — How  Mark  Wrote  the  Good  News 
— Did  Mary  the  Mother  Tell  Her  Story  to  Luke  ?  —Fable  That 
Each  Apostle  Inserted  an  Article  in  the  Creed — Traditional  Deaths 
of  the  Apostles  —  Many  Priests  Joined  the  Disciples  of  Jesus — Chris- 
tians Accused  of  Setting  Fire  to  Rome — Faith  of  Our  Fathers ! — The 
Chain  of  Christian  Evidence  from  the  First  Century— The  Fire  in 
the  Heart  of  History — The  Life  of  Christ  in  History  Can  Not  Cease 
— The  Christ  That  Is  to  Be— The  Son  of  Man  the  Son  of  God. 

Special  Acknowledgments     ........     547 

Inil«x 553 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  Son  of  Man 

Herod's  Temple 

The  Only  Melody  of  Heaven  E\'er  Heard  by  Mortal 

Ears 

Hurrying  down  to  Egypt 

The  Boy  of  Nazareth  

Starting  Back  to  Nazareth 

The  Jordan  Valley    .      .  

The  Unseen  Tempter  

Going  to  Cana  with  His  First  Disciples     .... 

The  Coming  of  the  Healer 

At  Sunset  by  the  Lake  Shore 

Waiting  for  the  Young  Rabbi 

Pharisees  and  Sadducees  Conspiring  against  Jesus   . 

Sending  out  the  Twelve 

New  Testament  Map  of  Palestine 

The  Samaritan  Neighbour 

Alone  with  the  Twelve         

Lazarus  the  Beggar  at  the  Door  of  Dives 

"But  Where  Are  the  Nine?" 

"Jesus,  Son  of  David,  Take  Pity  on  Me! "     .      .      . 
Telling  Them  of  Coming  Destruction        .... 

Bargaining  with  Judas 

"Whither  I  Go  Ye  Know,  and  the  Way  Ye  Know" 

"Why,  What  Has  ITe  Done?" 

"Behold  the  Man!" 

"Why  Hast  Thou  Forsaken  Me?" 

Portrait  Supposed  to  Have  Been  Painted  by  Luke  for 

Abgarus 

Portrait  Believed  to  Have  Been  Imprinted  ISIiracu- 

lously  on  Veronica's  Veil 

Veronica  Showing  the  Miraculous  Portrait  to  the 

Mother  of  Jesus 

What  the  Women  Saw 

Peter  and  John  Running  to  the  Tomb      .... 
Carried  Up  into  Heaven 


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The  Story-Life  of  the 
Son  of  Man 


THE  HOREOR  OF  GREAT  DARKNESS 

It  was  an  evil  time,  and  dread 
Reigned  over  all,  for  hope  was  dead. 

—Richard  H.  Thomas,  M.  D. 

The  Most  Important  Event  in  Our  World 
The  Roman  Empire  had  now  become  the  largest  which  the 
world  had  ever  seen  ;  and  Octavius,  named  Augustus,  holding 
the  principal  offices  of  the  state,  was,  in  effect,  the  absolute  master 
of  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  the  Roman  people.  During  a  long 
administration  he  almost  effaced  the  memory  of  his  former  cruel- 
ties, and  seemed  to  consult  only  the  good  of  his  subjects. 

His  reign  constituted  the  era  of  Roman  taste  and  genius,  under 
the  auspices  of  Mecsenas,  his  chief  minister,  who  was  the  most 
eminent  patron  of  letters  recorded  in  history. 

Seventeen  years  before  the  close  of  his  life  and  reign,  .  .  . 
Jesus  Christ  was  born  in  Judea — an  event  more  important  than 
any  other  that  ever  took  place  in  our  world. 

Outlines  of  Ancient  and  diodern  History,  Eoj'al  Bobbins,  Vol.  I,  p.  145. 

The  Reign  of  Evil  Had  Reached  Its  Height 
The  reign  of  evil  throughout  the  world  seemed  to  have  reached 
its  height.  In  Rome  the  infamousSejauus,  long  the  favourite  of 
Tiberius,  had  at  last  fallen,  but  not  till  his  career  had  filled  the 
world  with  horror.  The  enforcement  of  obsolete  usury  laws  had 
spread  financial  ruin  over  the  empire.  Forced  sales  made  property 
almost  worthless.  Bankruptcy  spread  far  and  near.  The  courts 
were  filled  with  men  imploring  a  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  laws, 


34        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

and  meanwhile,  the  capitalists  kept  back  their  money.  Business 
was  paralysed  throughout  the  world.  Many  of  the  rich  were 
reduced  to  beggary,  and  the  misery  of  the  poor  became  more 
intense.  To  add  to  the  universal  ruin,  informers  reigned  supreme 
at  Rome,  and  even  the  forms  of  law  were  forgotten.  Multitudes, 
both  innocent  and  guilty,  perished  in  the  Roman  jails, — men, 
women,  and  children, — their  bodies  being  thrown  into  the  Tiber. 

A  reign  of  terror  prevailed.  Legal  murders  and  remorseless 
confiscations  were  increasing ;  immorality  and  crime  held  high 
carnival.  The  most  distant  countries  trembled  before  Rome,  but 
its  rule  may  be  judged  by  the  guilt,  cruelty,  and  corruption  at  the 
centre. 

The  misgoverned  East  was  deeply  agitated  by  the  uneasy  pre- 
sentiment of  an  impending  change.  Not  only  Judea,  but  the 
neighbouring  countries,  were  full  of  restless  expectation. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuingham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  353. 

Guttered  down  in  the  Socket  Like  a  Bwrnt-o«t  Candle 

Two-thirds  of  the  world  were  slaves  ;  three- fourths  were  drunk- 
ards ;  nine-tenths  openly  led  impure  lives.  Cicero  recounts  ten 
vices  that  undermined  society  and  life. 

One  historian  writes,  "  Luxury  and  licentiousness  in  the  time 
of  Augustus  Caesar  in  the  court  of  Rome  and  among  the  peo- 
ple prevailed  to  an  alarming  degree.  Yergil  was  writing  his 
Eclogues;  Horace  was  singing  his  Odes;  Livy  was  writing  his 
Annals.  What  feasts  there  were  !  What  sports  in  the  amphi- 
theatre !  Caesar  gave  an  exhibition  of  six  hundred  gladiators, 
who  fought  hand  to  hand  to  the  very  death.     .     .     . 

"Philosophy  had  done  its  best.  The  very  summit  of  earthly 
culture  had  been  reached,  but  over  against  this  may  be  witnessed 
in  the  frescoes  and  inscriptions  taken  from  the  ruins  of  Pompeii — 
exhibitions  of  sin  and  shame  not  to  be  mentioned  in  these  daj^s. 
Greece,  Rome  and  the  whole  world  groaned  and  travailed  for  the 
coming  of  a  deliverer." 

Historians  of  the  day  have  used  their  blackest  pigments  in 
painting  the  picture, — a  picture  hideous,  deadening,  despairing. 
Gibbon's  description  is  not  too  darkly  colored.  Altars  forsaken, 
homes  desecrated,  the  priesthood  false  and  corrupt,  Stoicism 
hardening  men  into  passionless,  tearless  endurance.  Epicurean- 


THE  HORROR  OF  GREAT  DARKNESS     35 

ism  makiug  them  druuk  with  soul-stupefyiug  pleasures.     Meu 
aud  women  sneered  at  the  very  existence  of  virtue.     Faith,  hope, 
love  had  guttered  down  in  the  socket  like  a  burnt-out  candle. 
Manuscript  Sermon,  Rev.  Charles  Wesley  Burns,  S.  T.  D. 

Form  without  Heart 

The  religions  of  antiquity  had  lost  their  vitality,  and  become 
effete  forms,  without  influence  on  the  heart.  Philosophy  was  the 
consolation  of  a  few — the  amusement  or  fashion  of  others ;  but 
of  no  weight  as  a  moral  force  among  men  at  large.  On  its 
best  side,  that  of  Stoicism,  it  had  much  that  was  lofty,  but 
its  highest  teaching  was  resignation  to  fate,  and  it  offered  only 
the  hurtful  consolation  of  pride  in  virtue,  without  an  idea  of  hu- 
miliation for  vice.  On  its  worst  side — that  of  Epicureanism — it 
exalted  self-indulgence  as  the  highest  end.  Faith  in  the  great 
truths  of  natural  religion  was  well-nigh  extinct. 

Sixty-three  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  Julius  Caesar,  at 
that  time  the  Chief  Pontiff  of  Rome,  and  as  such,  the  highest 
functionary  of  the  state  religion,  and  the  official  authority  in 
religious  questions,  ojDenly  proclaimed,  in  his  speech  in  the  Senate, 
in  reference  to  Cataline  and  his  fellow-conspirators — that  there 
was  no  such  thing  as  a  future  life ;  no  immortality  of  the  soul. 
He  opposed  the  execution  of  the  accused  on  the  ground  that  their 
crimes  deserved  the  severest  punishments,  and  that,  therefore, 
they  should  be  kept  alive  to  endure  them,  since  death  was  in 
reality  an  escape  from  suffering,  not  an  evil.  "  Death,"  said  he, 
"  is  a  rest  from  troubles  to  those  in  grief  and  misery,  not  a  pun- 
ishment ;  it  ends  all  the  evils  of  life  ;  for  there  is  neither  care  nor 
joy  beyond  it." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  28. 

No  Distinction  between  Civil  and  Moral 

There  was  no  distinction,  as  with  us,  of  thingscivil  and  things 
moral.  All  moral  duties  were  civil,  and  all  civil  were  moral  duties. 
Priest  and  magistrate  were  one.  Patriotism  and  piety  were  identi- 
cal. The  military  organization  of  the  Jews  was  Levitical.  The 
priest  wore  the  sword,  took  part  in  planning  campaigns,  and  led  the 
people  in  battle.     The  Levitical  body  was  a  kind  of  national  uni- 


36        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

versity.  Literature,  learniug,  and  the  fine  arts,  in  so  far  as  they 
had  existence,  were  preserved,  nourished,  and  diffused  by  the 
priestly  order. 

Under  such  circumstances,  genius  must  needs  be  religious.  It 
must  develop  itself  in  analogy  with  the  history  and  institutions 
of  the  people.  The  Hebrew  man  of  genius  was  the  prophet.  The 
strict  priest  was  narrow  and  barren ;  the  prophet  was  a  son  of 
liberty,  a  child  of  inspiration.  All  other  men  touched  the  ground. 
He  only  had  wings ;  he  was  orator,  poet,  singer,  civilian,  states- 
man. Of  no  close  profession,  he  performed  the  functions  of  all, 
as  by  turns,  in  the  great  personal  freedom  of  his  career,  he  needed 
their  elements. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  83. 

Priest  for  Religion,  Philosopher  for  Morality- 
There  is  an  old  saying  to  the  effect  that  the  Eoman  went  to  the 
priest  for  his  religion,  but  to  the  philosopher  for  his  morality, 
and  substantially  this  is  a  fair  representation  of  the  thought  of 
the  ancient  world.  Eeligion  is  thus  seen  as  altogether  divorced 
from  conduct. 

Philosophy  is  also  seen  as  a  system  of  ethics  which  is  destitute 
of  religious  sanction.  The  most  that  it  aimed  to  do  was  to  fur- 
nish a  wise  plan  of  life,  based  upon  considerations  of  utility.  But 
it  is  obvious  that  a  man  may  attain  a  high  degree  of  philosophic 
wisdom,  without  attaining  fine  emotions,  or  even  at  the  expense 
of  fine  emotions.  He  may  be  wise  without  being  moral,  learned 
without  being  kind,  sagacious  without  being  loving  or  lovable,  a 
scholar  or  a  sage  without  possessing  a  single  attractive  quality 
which  would  make  us  deplore  his  death. 

Thus,  the  inconsistencies  of  Seneca  afford  one  of  the  saddest 
ironies  of  history,  and  our  admiration  of  the  philosopher  is  con- 
stantly tempered  by  our  scorn  for  the  flatterer  of  Nero,  intent 
on  ease  and  luxury  even  while  he  preaches  the  beauty  of  virtue 
and  the  pleasures  of  poverty.  But  the  career  of  Seneca  affords  a 
theme  for  reflections  far  more  humbling  than  any  that  sprang 
from  the  exercise  of  irony.  It  illustrates  the  impotence  of  the 
highest  kind  of  intellectual  wisdom  of  itself  to  produce  perfection 
of  character. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  136. 


THE  HORROR  OF  GREAT  DARKNESS     37 

The  Sad  Condition  of  Woman 
The  condition  of  woman  in  antiquity  was  little  better  than  that 
of  the  slave.  She  was  the  property  of  her  husband,  if  married  ; 
if  unmarried,  she  was  the  plaything  or  slave  of  man,  never  his 
equal.  The  morality  of  married  life,  which  is  the  strength  and 
glory  of  any  people,  was  hardly  known.  Pompey  and  Germanicus 
were  singular  in  the  fidelity  that  marked  their  marriage  relations, 
on  both  sides,  and  were  famous  through  the  singularity.  The 
utter  impurity  of  the  men  reacted  in  a  similar  self-degradation 
of  the  other  sex.  In  Rome,  marriages  became,  as  a  rule,  mere 
temporary  connections.  In  order  to  escape  the  punishments  in- 
flicted on  adultery,  in  the  time  of  Tiberius,  married  women,  in- 
cluding even  women  of  illustrious  families,  enrolled  themselves 
on  the  official  lists  of  public  prostitutes.  .  .  .  The  barbarians 
of  the  German  forests  alone,  of  the  heathen  world,  retained  a 
worthy  sense  of  the  true  dignity  of  woman.  ''  No  one  there 
laughs  at  vice,"  says  Tacitus,  "nor  is  to  seduce  and  to  be 
seduced  called  the  fashion." 

Tlie  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  12. 

Babes  Sold  to  Raise  Money 
Habitually  near  to  the  starvation  line  lived  the  peasantry  of 
that  time.  The  people  in  this  particular  province  had  already 
been  bled  to  the  verge  by  Herod,  Rome's  toady  and  vassal. 
This  further  spoliation,  therefore,  meant  bread  out  of  many  a 
mouth.  The  brigands  on  the  Tiber,  however,  had  thoughtfully 
provided  for  every  emergency.  There  was  a  Roman  law  that  a 
pai-ent  could  sell  his  infant  into  slavery  if  the  money  was  needed 
to  pay  the  tax. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  24. 

The  Lot  of  the  Slave 
The  slave,  before  Christ  came,  was  a  piece  of  property  of  less 
worth  than  laud  or  cattle.  An  old  Roman  law  enacted  a  penalty 
of  death  for  him  who  killed  a  ploughing  ox  ;  but  the  murderer 
of  a  slave  was  called  to  no  account  whatever.  Crassus,  after  the 
revolt  of  Spartacus,  crucified  10, 000  slaves  at  one  time.  Augustus, 
in  violation  of  his  word,  delivered  to  their  masters,  for  execution, 
30,000  slaves,  who  had  fought  for  Sextus  Pompeius.    Trajan,  the 


38        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

best  of  the  Romans  of  his  day,  made  10,000  slaves  fight  at  oue 
time  in  the  amphitheatre,  for  the  amusement  of  the  people,  and 
prolonged  the  massacre  123  days. 

The  great  truth  of  man's  universal  brotherhood  was  the  axe 
laid  at  the  root  of  this  detestable  crime — the  sum  of  all  villauies. 
By  first  infusing  kindness  into  the  lot  of  the  slave,  then  by  slowly 
undermining  slavery  itself,  each  century  has  seen  some  advance, 
till  at  last  the  man-owner  is  unknown  in  nearly  every  civilized 
country,  and  even  Africa  itself,  the  worst  victim  of  slavery  in 
these  latter  ages,  is  being  aided  by  Christian  England  to  raise  its 
slaves  into  freemen. 

JTie  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  CuDningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  10. 

The  Poor  among  the  Ancients 
The  poor,  in  antiquity,  were  in  almost  as  bad  a  plight  as  the 
slave.  "  How  can  you  possibly  lay  yourself  down  so  low  as  not 
to  repel  a  poor  man  from  you  with  scorn"?  "  is  the  question  of  a 
rhetorician  of  the  imperial  times  of  Rome  to  a  rich  man.  No 
one  of  the  thousands  of  rich  men  living  in  Rome  ever  conceived 
the  notion  of  founding  an  asylum  for  the  poor,  or  a  hospital  for 
the  sick.  There  were  herds  of  beggars.  Seneca  often  mentions 
them,  and  observes  that  most  men  fling  an  alms  to  a  beggar  with 
repugnance,  and  carefully  avoid  all  contact  with  them.  Among 
the  Jews,  the  poor  were  thought  to  be  justly  bearing  the  penalty 
of  some  sin  of  their  own,  or  of  their  fathers. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  CunniDgham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol,  I,  p.  11. 

A  Qiwfch  Dying  of  Ceremony 

In  an  age  when  a  slave  had  not  as  many  rights  as  a  pauper  dog 
in  our  streets  to-day,  and  when  a  prince  or  a  priest  treated  a  poor 
man  as  he  chose  and  no  help  for  it,  when  wealth  and  rank  were 
never  asked  for  their  credentials  if  they  trampled  obscurity  and 
poverty  into  bruises  and  blood,  he  taught  the  equality  of  man, 
the  rights  of  the  wronged,  the  value  of  the  slighted.  In  a  society 
of  sham  he  scorned  worldliness  by  an  epigram  which  has  re- 
mained superb  and  final  from  his  day  to  ours. 

To  a  church  dying  of  ceremony,  rotten  with  hypocrisy,  .  .  . 
there  came  an  ideal  of  worship  which  defied  every  ecclesiastical 
conception  of  his  race  and  times. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  173. 


THE  HOKROR  OF  GREAT  DARKNESS     39 

**I  Shall  See  Him,  but  Not  Now  *' 

About  forty  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  Vergil  wrote  his 
beautiful  Eclogue  of  Pollio.  The  birthplace  of  Vergil  was  near 
the  town  of  CuiuiTe,  where  lived  the  Cumsean  sibyl,  aud  her  tradi- 
tiouary  history  aud  her  writings  must  have  deeply  impressed  his 
mind.  Possibly  he  ouly  thought  of  them  as  a  poet  thinks  of  a 
fine  theme  for  the  display  of  poetic  imagery ;  and  possibly  he 
may  have  meant  to  make  of  this  eclogue  a  complimentary 
prophecy  of  some  patron  among  the  j^owerful  of  his  times.  But 
when  we  remember  that  it  was  published  only  about  forty  years 
before  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  that  no  other  historical  character 
corresponding  to  this  prediction  ever  appeared,  it  becomes,  to 
say  the  least,  a  remarkable  coincidence.     .     .     . 

May  not  Vergil,  like  Balaam,  have  been  carried  beyond  him- 
self in  the  trance  of  poetic  inspiration,  aud  seen  afar  the 
"  Star  "  that  should  arise  out  of  Israel  ?  He  too  might  have  ex- 
claimed : 

"  I  shall  see  him,  but  not  now, 
I  shall  behold  him,  but  not  nigh." 

Footsteps  of  the  Master,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  p.  90. 

Writings  Which  Fired  the  Souls  of  the  People 

A  literature,  widely  diffused,  penetrated  the  nation  with  its 
spirit  and  coloured  its  destiny.  Nor  were  the  books  quoted 
the  only  writings  .  .  .  that  everywhere  formed  the  read- 
ing, and  fired  the  soul  of  the  contemporaries  of  Jesus.  A  suc- 
cession of  heralds  of  the  Messiah  perpetuated  the  theme.  After 
the  Psalms  of  Solomon  and  the  Book  of  Esdras,  we  have  the 
anticipations  of  the  Targums,  and  of  Philo,  and  the  pictures 
of  the  Book  of  Jubilees.  In  the  Messiah's  time  we  read  in  the 
latter,  "  the  days  will  begin  to  lengthen,  and  the  children  of  men 
will  live  longer,  from  generation  to  generation,  and  from  day  to 
day,  till  their  lives  come  nigh  to  a  thousand  years.  And  there 
will  be  no  more  any  old,  nor  any  weary  of  life,  but  they  will  all 
be  like  children  and  boys,  and  fulfil  all  their  days  in  peace  aud 
joy,  and  there  will  be  no  accuser  amongst  them,  or  any  corrupter. 
For  all  their  days  will  be  days  of  blessing." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  341. 


40        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Her od^s  Three  Perils 

For  [Herod]  the  king  there  were  three  great  perils  :  the  people, 
Caesar,  and  his  own  family.  The  descendant  of  old  John  Hyr- 
canus  of  Idumsea — a  Jew  only  by  compulsion — had  no  understand- 
ing of  the  children  of  Moses.  He  tripped  every  day  on  the 
barriers  of  ancient  law,  and  often  his  generosity  was  taken  for 
defiance.  Caesar  was  not  so  hard  to  please.  He  had  vanity  and 
laws  not  wholly  inflexible. 

Herod's  family,  with  its  evil  sister,  its  profligate  sons,  its 
voluptuous  daughters,  its  wives,  of  whom  it  is  enough  to  say  they 
were  nine,  its  intrigues  and  jealousies,  gave  him  greater  trouble 
than  either  the  kingdom  or  the  emperor.  He  built  a  city  near 
Jerusalem,  on  the  sea.  Magnificent  in  marble  and  gold,  Csesarea 
stood  for  a  monument  of  Herodian  troubles.  Therein  he  sought 
to  amuse  the  people,  to  pacify  his  kindred,  and  to  flatter  Caesar. 
Its  vast  breakwater ;  its  great  arches  through  which  the  sea  came 
gently  in  all  weather  ;  its  mosaic  pavements  washed  daily  by  the 
salt  tide  ;  its  palaces  of  white  marble,  its  great,  glowing  amphi- 
theatre— these  were  unique  in  their  barbaric  splendor,  albeit,  in 
the  view  of  the  people,  an  offense  to  God. 
Vergilius,  Irving  Bacheller,  p.  166. 

He  Btiilds  a  More  Splendid  Temple 
It  was  with  the  extremest  mistrust  that  the  rabbis  heard  in  the 
year  b.  c.  20  that  Herod  intended  replacing  the  humble  temple 
of  the  Exile  by  one  unspeakably  more  splendid.  It  is  said  that 
Baba-ben-Boutra  had  seen  a  crack  in  the  old  structure,  and  coun- 
seled Herod  to  build  another  in  its  place,  as  an  expiation  for  the 
murder  of  Mariamne  and  the  rabbis,  and  to  conciliate  the  people 
for  his  favour  to  heathenism.  The  prophecies  were  played  ofi"  by 
him,  to  win  popular  sanction  to  his  undertaking,  for  Haggai  had 
foretold  that  a  new  temple  of  surpassing  glory  would  one  day  be 
built.  But  so  great  was  the  distrust  that  all  the  materials  of  the 
new  temple  needed  to  be  brought  together  before  a  stone  of  the 
old  one  could  be  touched. 

At  last,  on  the  regnal  day  of  Herod,  in  the  year  b.  c.  14,  the 
unfinished  structure  was  consecrated,  and  the  lo\Wng  of  300  oxen 
at  the  Great  Altar  announced  to  Jerusalem  that  the  first  sacrifice 
in  it  was  offered.     But  scarcely  was  the  consecration  over  than 


«0h  s  c:S^ 


o!  " 


w 


feP  >  OJ  >. 
^    -  o-^  h    . 
S  "^"O   Dm"' 
>   •""  E  S3 

■^  u:g  rt  S;  o 

Mr  )  >  ji:  -d  >« 

•d-^-d-d  "*  i>, 
:^^  m  C  d^ 
3   C   rl   3  4)  O 

.0X«  So 


t^ 


o  o  „  ts^.S-tJ 
o  S-di^  oJ  o  Q> 

ci5  o-^:S  ^  3 

^  b  ^  -"  o 

nj        PI     .  0)  o 

_2  a2  "  r-  t:  O 

au  3  .."2  « 

CJ3  o  _  o  o  o 
gf_  o-g^  3  <S 

H  r3  5  tn  _S  n!."' 
'C  n  'e      i  £>o 

°o  °c^-- 
S  C  E  cj  oW 


THE  HORROR  OF  GREAT  DARKNESS     41 

national  gratitude  was  turned  into  indignation  by  his  setting  up 
a  great  golden  eagle — the  emblem  of  heathen  Rome — over  the 
great  gate,  in  expectation  of  a  visit  from  distinguished  strangers 
from  the  imjierial  city.  The  nation  was  not  duped  as  the  king  had 
expected.  In  spite  of  his  having  begun  a  temple  so  magnificent  that 
even  a  Jewish  saying  owns  that  he  who  had  not  seen  it  had  seen 
nothing  worth  looking  at,  an  abyss  yawned  between  him  and  them. 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  51. 

When  Hillel  and  Shammai  Taught  in  Jerusalem 
It  was  also  under  the  government  of  Herod,  that  Hillel  and 
Shammai  lived  and  taught  in  Jerusalem  :  the  two  whom  tradi- 
tion designates  as  "the  fathers  of  old."  Both  gave  their  name  to 
"schools,"  whose  direction  was  generally  different — not  unfre- 
quently,  it  seems,  for  the  sake  of  opposition.  But  it  is  not  correct 
to  describe  the  former  as  consistently  the  more  liberal  and  mild. 
The  teaching  of  both  was  supposed  to  have  been  declared  by  the 
"Voice  from  Heaven"  as  "the  words  of  the  living  God"  ;  yet 
the  Law  was  to  be  henceforth  according  to  the  teaching  of  Hillel. 
But  to  us  Hillel  is  so  intensely  interesting,  not  merely  as  the  mild 
and  gentle,  not  only  as  the  earnest  student  who  came  from  Baby- 
lon to  learn  in  the  academies  of  Jerusalem  ;  who  would  support 
his  family  on  a  third  of  his  scanty  wages  as  a  day  laborer, 
that  he  might  pay  for  entrance  into  the  schools ;  and  whose 
zeal  and  merits  were  only  discovered  when,  after  a  severe  night, 
in  which,  from  jDOverty,  he  had  been  unable  to  gain  admittance 
into  the  academy,  his  benumbed  form  was  taken  down  from  the 
window-sill,  to  which  he  had  crept  up  not  to  lose  aught  of  the 
precious  instruction.  And  for  his  sake  did  they  gladly  break  on 
that  Sabbath  the  sacred  rest. 

Nor  do  we  think  of  him,  as  tradition  fables  him — the  descend- 
ant of  David,  possessed  of  every  great  quality  of  body,  mind,  and 
heart ;  nor  yet  as  the  second  Ezra,  whose  learning  placed  him  at 
the  head  of  the  Sauhedrin,  who  laid  down  the  principles  after- 
wards applied  and  developed  by  rabbinisra,  and  who  was  the  real 
founder  of  traditionalism.  Still  less  do  we  think  of  him,  as  he  is 
falsely  represented  by  some :  as  he  whose  principles  closely 
resemble  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  or,  according  to  certain  writers, 
were  its  source. 


42        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

By  the  side  of  Jesus  we  tbiuk  of  him  otherwise  than  this.  We 
remember  that,  iu  his  extreme  old  age  aud  uear  his  eud,  he  may 
have  presided  over  that  meeting  of  Sauhedriu  which,  iu  answer 
to  Herod's  iuquiry,  pointed  to  Bethlehem  as  the  birthplace  of  the 
Messiah.  We  think  of  him  also  as  the  grandfather  of  that  Gama- 
liel, at  whose  feet  Saul  of  Tarsus  sat.  Aud  to  us  he  is  the  repre- 
sentative Jewish  reformer,  iu  the  spirit  of  those  times,  aud  iu  the 
sense  of  restoring  rather  thau  removing  ;  while  we  think  of  Jesus 
as  the  Messiah  of  Israel,  in  the  sense  of  bringing  the  kingdom  of 
God  to  all  meu,  aud  opening  it  to  all  believers. 

The    Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersbeim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  128. 

How  Herod  Arranged  for  an  **  Honourable '*  Mourning 

Having  no  longer  the  least  hope  of  recovering,  he  gave  order 
that  every  soldier  should  be  paid  fifty  drachmae  ;  and  he  also  gave 
a  great  deal  to  their  commanders,  aud  to  his  friends,  aud  came 
again  to  Jericho,  where  he  grew  so  choleric  that  it  brought  him  to 
do  all  things  like  a  madman  ;  and  though  he  were  uear  his  death, 
he  contrived  the  following  designs  : — He  commanded  that  all  the 
principal  meu  of  the  entire  Jewish  nation,  wheresoever  they  lived, 
should  be  called  to  him.  Accordingly,  there  were  a  great  number 
that  came,  because  the  whole  nation  was  called,  and  all  men  heard 
of  this  call,  and  death  was  the  penalty  of  such  as  should  despise  the 
epistles  that  were  sent  to  call  them.  Aud  now  the  king  was  iu  a 
wild  rage  against  them  all,  the  innocent  as  well  as  those  that  had 
afforded  him  ground  for  accusations ;  and  when  they  were  come, 
he  ordered  them  to  be  all  shut  up  iu  the  hippodrome,  aud  sent 
for  his  sister  Salome,  and  her  husband  Alexis,  aud  spake  thus  to 
them: 

"I  shall  die  in  a  little  while,  so  great  are  my  pains ;  which 
death  ought  to  be  cheerfully  borne,  and  to  be  welcomed  by  all 
meu,  but  what  principally  troubles  me  is  this,  that  I  shall  die 
without  being  lamented  ;  and  without  such  mourning  as  men 
usually  expect  at  a  king's  death."     .     .     . 

He  desired,  therefore,  that  as  soon  as  they  see  he  hath  given  up 
the  ghost,  they  shall  place  soldiers  round  the  hippodrome,  while 
they  do  not  know  that  he  is  dead  ;  aud  that  they  shall  not  declare 
his  death  till  this  is  done,  but  they  shall  give  orders  to  have  those 


THE  HORROR  OF  GREAT  DARKNESS     43 

that  are  iu  custody  shot  with  their  darts  :  aud  that  this  slaughter 
of  them  all  will  cause  that  he  shall  uot  miss  to  rejoice  ou  a  double 
account.  That  as  he  is  dyiug,  they  will  make  him  secure  that  his 
will  shall  be  executed  iu  what  he  charges  them  to  do  :  and  that 
he  shall  have  the  honour  of  a  memorable  mourning  at  his  funeral. 
So  he  deplored  his  condition  with  tears  iu  his  eyes,  and  obtested 
them  by  the  kindness  due  from  them,  as  of  his  kindred,  and  by 
the  faith  they  owed  to  God  ;  and  begged  of  them  that  they  would 
not  hinder  him  of  this  honourable  mourning  at  his  funeral. 

The  Works  of  Flavius  Josephns,  edited  by  William  Whiston,  A,  M.,  Vol.  II. 
Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  Book  XVII,  Chap,  VI,  p.  20, 


TI 
LOOKING  TOWAED  THE  LIGHT 

Light,  seeking  light,  (Shakespeare). 
Unbarred  the  gates  of  Light. 

—Milton. 

The  Dream  of  a  Jewish  Maiden 
When  I  came  to  lie  on  luy  mother's  breast,  she  saug  me  lullabies 
on  lofty  themes.  I  heard  the  names  of  Rebecca,  Rachel^  and  Leah 
as  early  as  the  names  of  father,  mother,  and  nurse.  My  baby  soul 
was  enthralled  by  sad  and  noble  cadences,  as  my  mother  sang  of 
my  ancient  home  in  Palestine,  and  mourned  over  the  desolation 
of  Zion.  With  the  first  rattle  that  was  placed  in  my  hand,  a 
prayer  was  pronounced  over  me,  a  petition  that  a  pious  man 
might  take  me  to  wife,  and  a  messiah  be  among  my  sons. 

I  was  fed  on  dreams,  instructed  by  means  of  prophecies,  trained 
to  hear  and  see  mystical  things  that  callous  senses  could  not  per- 
ceive. I  was  taught  to  call  myself  a  princess,  in  memory  of  my 
forefathers  who  had  ruled  a  nation.  Though  I  went  in  the  dis- 
guise of  an  outcast,  I  felt  a  halo  resting  on  my  brow.  Spat  upon 
by  brutal  enemies,  unjustly  hated,  persecuted,  annihilated  a  hun- 
dred times,  I  yet  arose  and  held  my  head  high,  sure  that  I  should 
find  my  kingdom  in  the  end,  although  I  had  lost  my  way  in  exile ; 
for  He  who  had  brought  my  ancestors  safe  through  a  thousand 
perils,  was  guiding  my  feet  as  well.  God  needed  me  and  I  needed 
Him,  for  we  two  together  had  a  work  to  do,  according  to  an  an- 
cient covenant  between  Him  and  my  forefathers. 

Within  the  Pale;  Chapters  of  an  Autobiography,  Mary  Antin,  The  Atlantic 
Monthly,  Vol.  CVIII,  No.  4,  October,  1911,  p.  445. 

At  the  Fowntain  of  the  Virgin 

There  was  a  fountain  ;  the  only  one  in  the  village.     The  women 

went  with  their  urns  on  their  shoulders  to  get  water  for  the  family 

supply ;  they  stood,  graceful,  slow  of  motion,  lazy  and  lovely, 

taking  each  her  turn.     It  was  approaching  the  cool  of  the  day. 

44 


t 

LOOKING  TOWARD  THE  LIGHT  45 

The  women  chattered  like  birds  ;  they  raised  their  eyes  to  the 
moiiutaius  iudiffereutly.  The  sky  was  taking  on  a  preparation 
of  color  ;  but  the  women  preferred  to  hear  what  was  to  be  said. 

A  girl  put  down  her  urn,  and  looked  at  the  sky.  She  did  not 
talk.  She  moved  away  a  little  from  the  other  women,  and  leaned 
against  a  high,  white  rock.  Her  chin  was  lifted,  her  eyes  up- 
raised ;  her  mouth  had  a  sweet  expression  ;  her  thoughts  were 
liigh.  She  had  the  air  of  one  who  preferred  to  be  alone  without 
knowing  why. 

The  other  women  rustled,  gossiping,  away.  The  girl  followed 
slowly,  with  obvious  reluctance ;  she  walked  alone.  The  urn 
stood  steadily  upon  her  head  ;  her  carriage  was  straight  and 
noble.  She  was  of  middle  height,  or  possibly  a  little  above  it. 
She  had  a  fair  complexion,  blond  hair  and  bright,  hazel  eyes. 
Her  eyebrows  were  arched  and  dark  ;  her  lips  ruddy,  and  full  of 
kindness  when  she  spoke.  Her  face  was  long  rather  than  round  ; 
her  hands  and  fingers  were  finely  shaped.  ''She  had  no  weak- 
ness of  manner,  but  was  far  from  forwardness.  She  had  no  pride, 
but  was  simjDle,  and  free  from  deceit.  She  showed  respect  and 
honor  to  all.  She  was  very  gentle,  in  all  things  serious  and 
earnest ;  she  spoke  little  and  only  to  the  purpose."     .     .     . 

Now  the  maiden  was  a  poor  girl,  born  of  working  people, 
reared  by  them,  and  living  among  them.  Yet  she  came  of  the 
lineage  of  a  powerful  and  poi:)ular  king.  This  country  maid, 
this  laborer's  child,  was  born,  not  to  the  purple,  but  of  it.  She 
might  be  called  a  royal  peasant.  Her  veins  ran  with  the  richest 
blood  of  the  nation  ;  her  hands  knew  its  commonest  toil.  A 
patrician  ancestry  and  a  plebeian  training  make,  for  certain  ends, 
the  most  desirable  inheritance  that  can  befall  one.     She  had  it. 

2%e  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  2, 

A  Priest  Comes  out  of  the  Sanctwar y  Speechless 
In  the  reign  of  Herod,  King  of  Judea,  there  was  a  priest  named 
Zechariah,  who  belonged  to  the  division  called  after  Abijah.  His 
wife,  whose  name  was  Elisabeth,  was  also  a  descendant  of  Aaron. 
They  were  both  righteous  people,  who  lived  blameless  lives, 
guiding  their  steps  by  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of 
the  Lord.  But  they  had  no  child,  Elisabeth  being  barren  ;  and 
both  of  them  were  advanced  in  years. 


46        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

One  day,  when  Zecliariah  was  officiating  as  priest  before  God, 
during  the  turn  of  his  division,  it  fell  to  him  by  lot,  in  accord- 
ance with  practice  among  the  priests,  to  go  into  the  Temple  of  the 
Lord  and  burn  incense ;  and,  as  it  was  the  hour  of  incense,  the 
people  were  all  praying  outside.  And  an  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  to  him,  standing  on  the  right  of  the  altar  of  incense. 
Zechariah  was  startled  at  the  sight  and  was  awe-struck.  But  the 
angel  said  to  him  : 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,  Zechariah  ;  your  prayer  has  been  heard,  and 
your  wife  Elisabeth  shall  bear  you  a  son,  whom  you  shall  call  by 
the  name  John.  He  shall  be  to  you  a  joy  and  a  delight ;  and  many 
shall  rejoice  over  his  birth.  For  he  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord ;  he  shall  not  drink  any  wine  or  strong  drink,  and  he 
shall  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  from  the  very  hour  of  his  birth, 
and  shall  reconcile  many  of  the  Israelites  to  the  Lord  their  God. 
He  shall  go  before  Him  in  the  spirit  and  with  the  power  of  Elijah, 
'  to  reconcile  fathers  to  their  children  '  and  the  disobedient  to  the 
wisdom  of  the  righteous,  and  so  make  ready  for  the  Lord  a  people 
prepared  for  Him." 

"How  can  I  be  sure  of  this?"  Zechariah  asked  the  angel. 
"  For  I  am  an  old  man  and  my  wife  is  advanced  in  years." 

"  I  am  Gabriel,"  the  angel  answered,  "  who  stand  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God,  and  I  have  been  sent  to  speak  to  you  and  to  bring 
you  this  good  news.  And  now  you  shall  be  silent  and  unable  to 
speak  until  the  day  when  this  takes  place,  because  you  did  not 
believe  what  I  said,  though  my  words  will  be  fulfilled  in  due 
course." 

Meanwhile  the  people  were  watching  for  Zechariah,  wondering 
at  his  remaining  so  long  in  the  Temple.  When  he  came  out,  he 
was  unable  to  speak  to  them,  and  they  perceived  that  he  had  seen 
a  vision  there.  But  Zechariah  kept  making  signs  to  them,  and 
remained  dumb.  And,  as  soon  as  his  term  of  service  was  finished, 
he  returned  home. 

Luke  i.  5-23.    The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  103. 

A  Priest  of  the  Old  for  the  New 
To  this  distinct  promise  of  a  son  who  should  become  a  great 
reformer,  and  renew  the  power  and  grandeur  of  the  prophetic 
office,  he  could  only  say,  "  Whereby  shall  I  know  this?"     His 


LOOKING  TOWARD  THE  LIGHT  47 

doubts  should  have  beguu  earlier,  or  not  at  all.  He  should 
have  rejected  the  whole  vision,  or  should  have  accepted  the 
promise  implicitly ;  for  what  sign  could  be  given  so  as- 
suringly  as  the  very  presence  of  the  angel?  But  the  sign  which 
he  asked  was  given  in  a  way  that  he  could  never  forget ; — as  if 
the  priest  of  the  Old  was  to  teach  no  more  until  the  coming  of  the 
New, 

When  Zacharias  came  forth  to  the  people,  who  were  already 
impatient  at  his  long  delay,  they  perceived  by  his  altered  manner 
that  some  great  experience  had  befallen  him.  He  could  not 
speak,  and  could  dismiss  them  only  by  a  gesture. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  13. 

The  Dearest  Secret  of  Motherhood 

Thus,  from  whatever  source  the  narrative  may  be  supposed  to 
have  been  derived,  its  details  certainly  differ,  in  almost  all  par- 
ticulars, from  the  theological  notions  current  at  the  time.  And 
the  more  Zacharias  meditated  on  this  in  the  long  solitude  of  his 
enforced  silence,  the  more  fully  must  new  spiritual  thoughts  have 
come  to  him. 

As  for  Elisabeth,  those  tender  feelings  of  woman,  which  ever 
shiink  from  the  disclosure  of  the  dearest  secret  of  motherhood, 
were  intensely  deepened  and  sanctified  in  the  knowledge  of  all 
that  had  passed.  Little  as  she  might  understand  the  full  mean- 
ing of  the  future,  it  must  have  been  to  her,  as  if  she  also  now 
stood  in  the  Holy  Place,  gazing  toward  the  Veil  which  concealed 
the  innermost  Presence.  Meantime  she  was  content  with,  nay, 
felt  the  need  of,  absolute  retirement  from  other  fellowship  than 
that  of  God  and  her  own  heart.  Like  her  husband,  she  too  would 
be  silent  and  alone — till  another  voice  called  her  forth.  What- 
ever the  future  might  bring,  sufficient  for  the  present,  that  thus 
the  Lord  had  done  to  her,  in  days  in  which  He  looked  down  to 
remove  her  reproach  among  men.  The  removal  of  that  burden, 
its  manner,  its  meaning,  its  end,  were  all  from  God,  and  with 
God  ;  and  it  was  fitting  to  be  quite  alone  and  silent,  till  God's 
voice  would  again  wake  the  echoes  within. 

And  so  five  months  passed  in  absolute  retirement. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxoii., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  143. 


48        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Low  in  Station  b«t  of  High  Ancestry- 
While  Zach arias  aud  Elisabeth  were  rejoicing  at  their  promised 
blessing,  in  their  quiet  home  in  the  south,  there  lived  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Nazareth  or  Nazara,  over  a  hundred  miles  to  the  north  of 
them,  a  Jew  of  the  name  of  Joseph,  aud  a  simple  maiden  named 
Mary,  who  was  betrothed  to  him  as  his  future  wife.  Though 
humble  enough  iu  position — for  he  was  by  trade  a  carpenter- 
Joseph  was,  iu  reality,  of  the  noblest  blood  of  his  race,  for  he 
could  claim  descent  from  the  ancient  kings  of  his  nation,  aud  was 
the  legal  heir  to  the  throne  of  David  aud  Solomon. 

It  need  not  surprise  us  that  the  representative  of  such  an  illus- 
trious ancestry  should  be  found  iu  a  station  so  obscure.  In  the 
book  of  Judges,  we  find  a  grandson  of  Moses  reduced  to  engage 
himself  as  family  priest,  in  Mount  Ephraim,  for  a  yearly  wage  of 
"ten  shekels,  a  suit  of  apparel,  and  his  victuals."     .     .     . 

The  vicissitudes  of  the  Jewish  nation  for  century  after  century  ; 
its  deportation  to  Babylon,  and  long  suspension  of  national  life  ; 
its  succession  of  high-priestly  rulers,  after  the  return  ;  its  transi- 
tion to  the  Asmouean  line,  and,  finally,  the  reign  of  the  Idumeau 
house  of  Herod,  with  all  the  storm  aud  turmoil  which  marked  so 
many  changes,  had  left,  to  use  a  figure  of  Isaiah,  only  a  root  iu 
the  dry  grouud,  an  humble  citizen  of  Nazareth,  as  heir  of  its 
aucieut  royalty. 

The  Life  and  Wordu  of  Christ,  Cuuniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  104, 

The  "Wonderful  Promise  to  Mary 

Now,  six  mouths  later,  the  messenger  Gabriel  was  sent  from 
God  to  a  town  of  Galilee,  named  Nazareth,  to  a  maiden,  betrothed 
to  a  husband  named  Joseph,  a  descendant  of  David ;  aud  Mary 
was  the  uame  of  the  maiden. 

And  the  messenger  on  entering  saluted  her  with,  "Good 
health  to  you  !  much  honour  attends  you  ;  the  Lord  is  with  you  !  " 

But  she  was  thrown  into  confusion  about  his  message,  aud  re- 
flected what  that  address  might  mean. 

The  messenger,  however,  said  to  her,  "Fear  not,  Mary!  for 
you  have  received  a  gift  from  God.  Aud  listen  :  you  shall  con- 
ceive, and  give  birth  to  a  Son  ;  and  you  shall  give  Him  the  name 
of  Jesus.  He  shall  be  greatly  distinguished,  and  shall  be  called 
'Sou  of  the  Highest.'     Aud  the  Lord  God  shall  give  to  Him  the 


LOOKING  TOWARD  THE  LIGHT  49 

throue  of  His  father  David  ;  aud  He  shall  reigu  over  the  house 
of  Jacob  throughout  the  ages  :  and  His  reigu  shall  never  end." 

"How  can  this  be,"  Mary  asked  the  messenger,  "seeing  that 
I  know  not  a  husband  ?  " 

In  reply  to  her,  the  angel  said,  "The  Holy  Spirit  shall  shine 
upou  you,  and  jjower  from  above  shall  overshadow  you ;  and  there- 
fore the  holy  result  shall  be  called  '  Sou  of  God. '  Your  kinswoman 
Elisabeth  has  herself  also  conceived  a  son  in  her  old  age  ;  and 
this  is  the  sixth  mouth  with  her,  who  was  considered  childless : 
because  no  event  is  impossible  with  God." 

"I  am  the  servant  of  the  Lord!"  exclaimed  Mary.  "Ac- 
cording to  your  statement,  so  let  it  be  with  me."  And  the  angel 
left  her. 

Luke  i.  26-38.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  89. 

The  Most  Tremendows  Revelation  This  Planet  Has 
Ever  Known 

In  the  village,  roof-gardens  sometimes  added  flowers  to  the 
gentle  joys  of  home.  One  of  these  sky-gardens  belonged  to  the 
poor  home  of  which  we  think, — a  little,  cubic  dwelling  looking 
like  a  block — and  tall,  white  flowers  stood  above  the  vines,  leaning 
against  the  evening  sky. 

The  girl  crept  among  them.  Her  eyes  were  on  the  heavens. 
There  was  an  aureole  in  her  heart.  Her  prayer  had  passed  the 
phase  of  words.  She  had  ceased  to  address  God,  she  had  come 
so  near  Him.     .     .     . 

Then,  did  she  see  the  angel  ?  Did  he  break  a  stalk  of  one  of 
the  white  flowers,  as  he  stirred,  and  so  hold  it  in  his  hand, 
smiling  to  reassure  her  by  the  ease  and  cordiality  of  the 
act?    .     .     . 

The  angel  stood  quietly.  He  seemed  to  wish  not  to  alarm  the 
girl.  She  thought  him  a  spirit  of  high  rank.  He  spoke  with  the 
tenderness  natural  to  strength  and  superiority  .alone.  Was  he 
used  to  stand  in  the  presence  of  God ?  Yet  he  said,  "Fear  not, 
Mary." 

How  astonishing  the  conversation  which  followed  !  The  scene 
moved  on  steadily  to  its  solemn  climax.  Question  and  answer 
succeeded  with  increasing  courage  on  the  part  of  the  Galilean 
girl,  and  with  growing  defiuiteness  on  that  of  her  celestial  guest. 


50        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

.  .  .  She  was  the  agent  of  the  most  tremendous  revelation 
which  this  planet  has  ever  known. 

Chosen  out  of  all  the  world,  the  Hebrew  maiden  whose  qualifi- 
cations for  her  solemn  mission  were  the  simple,  womanly  ones  of 
a  pure  heart  and  a  devout  life,  received  the  angel's  message  as  she 
who  could  be  chosen  by  it  would  be  sure  to  do.  The  fiat  of  Deity 
was  in  the  magnificent  attitude  of  the  angel ;  he  stood  tall,  erect, 
majestic.  Awed,  the  woman  fell  upon  her  knees  before  the  mes- 
senger of  God,  and  veiled  her  face  from  sight  of  him.  ''Be  it 
unto  me,"  she  said,  "  according  to  thy  word." 

Now,  when  he  perceived  that  Mary  understood  the  import  of 
his  embassy,  the  angel  left  her.     .     .     . 

The  woman  was  left,  in  a  world  like  ours,  to  her  unique  experi- 
ence. 

The  Story  of  Jesits  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  6. 

Motherhood  the  Very  Centre  of  Womanhood 
It  may  seem  strange  that  Zacharias  should  be  struck  dumb  for 
doubting  the  heavenly  messenger,  while  Mary  went  unrebuked. 
But  it  is  plain  that  there  was  a  wide  difference  in  the  nature  of 
the  relative  experiences.  To  Zacharias  was  promised  an  event 
external  to  himself,  not  involving  his  own  sensibility.  But  to  a 
woman's  heart  there  can  be  no  other  announcement  possible  that 
shall  so  stir  every  feeling  and  sensibility  of  the  soul,  as  the  prom- 
ise and  prospect  of  her  first  child.  Motherhood  is  the  very  centre 
of  womanhood.  The  first  awaking  in  her  soul  of  the  reality  that 
she  bears  a  double  life — herself  within  herself — brings  a  sweet  be- 
wilderment of  wonder  and  joy.  The  more  sure  her  faith  of  the 
fiict,  the  more  tremulous  must  her  soul  become.  Such  an  an- 
nouncement can  never  mean  to  a  father's  what  it  does  to  a 
mother's  heart.  And  it  is  one  of  the  exquisite  shades  of  subtle 
truth,  and  of  beauty  as  well,  that  the  angel  who  rebuked  Zacha- 
rias for  doubt  saw  nothing  in  the  trembling  hesitancy  and  wonder 
of  Mary  inconsistent  with  a  childlike  faith. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Heury  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  19, 

She  Arose  and  Went  into  the  Hill  Country 
And  Mary  arose  in  those  days,  and  went  into  the  hill  country 
with  haste,  into  a  city  of  Juda  j  and  entered  into  the  house  of 


LOOKING  TOWARD  THE  LIGHT  51 

Zacharias,  aud  saluted  Elisabeth.  Aud  it  came  to  pass  that, 
when  Elisabeth  heard  the  salutatiou  of  Mary,  the  babe  leaped  in 
her  womb ;  aud  Elisabeth  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost :  and 
she  spake  out  with  a  loud  voice,  aud  said, 

"  Blessed  art  thou  amoug  women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy 
womb,  Aud  whence  is  this  to  me,  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord 
should  come  to  me  ?  For  lo,  as  soon  as  the  voice  of  thy  saluta- 
tion sounded  in  mine  ears,  the  babe  leaped  in  my  womb  for  joy. 
And  blessed  is  she  that  believed  ;  for  there  shall  be  a  performance 
of  those  things  which  were  told  her  from  the  Lord." 
Luke  i.  39-45.     Authorised  Version. 

The  Visit  to  Her  Cottsin  Elisabeth 
Had  Mary  a  mother  living  ?  or  loving  ?    It  is  touching  to  know 
that  the  first  act  of  the  wondering  girl,  after  the  angel  had  ex- 
plained the  nature  of  her  future  to  her,  was  to  seek  the  sympathy 
of  another  woman,  and  that  woman  not  of  her  own  household. 

There  was  a  village,  Juda  by  name,  in  the  south  of  Palestine  iu 
the  hill  country  of  Judea ;  it  was  a  hard  journey  of  about  five 
days  from  Nazareth.  There  Mary  had  a  friend.  She  took  the 
journey. 

An  elderly  woman,  reticent,  dignified,  devout,  herself  the  sub- 
ject of  a  strange  experience,  received  the  girl.  Mary  crept  into 
her  arms ;  she  found  it  hard  to  speak,  even  to  Elisabeth.  Then 
she  found  it  harder  to  be  silent.  Her  sensitive  nature  vibrated 
between  exaltation  and  anxiety.  There  is  a  song  famous  and 
sacred  in  musical  history — an  inimitable  outburst  of  religious 
and  poetic  feeling.  In  the  home  of  Elisabeth  Mary  uttered  the 
Magnificat. 

Tlie  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  12. 

Soofces  of  Mary's  Song 
Mary's  song  of  praise  is  a  composite  of  many  Psalms  modeled 
upon  the  praise-prayer  of  Hannah,  voicing  the  sublime  thoughts 
of  a  devout  aud  expectant  heart.  It  is  not  difficult  to  trace  the 
sublime  utterances  of  the  Virgin  to  their  sources  in  her  Bible, 
over  which  she  must  have  pored  and  pondered  much.  The 
references  from  the  second  chapter  of  First  Samuel  are  from  the 
exultant  song  of  the  aged  mother  iu  Israel  as  she  dedicated 


52 


THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


Samuel,  her  son  of  promise,  to  the  service  of  Jeliovali.     Like 
Mary's  motlier-song,  HauuaL's  began  with 

"  l\Iy  heart  rejoieeth  in  the  Lord,     .     .     . 
Because  I  rejoice  in  thy  salvation.". 

Following  are  the  phrases  of  Mary's  psalm  of  rejoicing  traced  to 
their  original  expressions  in  the  Old  Testament : 


{3Iagnificat) 
"  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,       Psalm  xxxv.  9, 


And  my  soul  hath  rejoiced  iu  God 
my  Saviour. 

For  he  hath  regarded  the  low  es- 
tate of  his  handmaiden ; 

For,  behold,  from  henceforth  all 
generations  shall  call  me  blessed. 

For  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done 
to  me  great  things  : 


And  holy  is  his  name. 

And  his  mercy  is  on  them  that 
fear  him,  from  generation' to  genera- 
tion. 

He  hath  shewed  strength  with 
his  arm. 


He  hath  scattered  the  proud  in  the 
imagination  of  their  hearts. 

He    hath    put  down  the  mighty 
from  their  seats ; 

And  exalted  them  of  low  degree. 


He  hath  filled  the  hungry  with 
good  things  ; 

And  the  rich  he  hath  sent  empty 
away. 

He  hath  holpen  his  servant  Israel 

In  remembrance  of  his  mercy ; 


As  he  spake  to  our  fathers, 
To  Abraham  and  to  his  seed  for- 
ever." 


the    Lord  : 
salvation." 


•'My  soul   rejoieeth  in 
it  shall   rejoice  in  his 


Genesis   xxx.    13,    "And    Leah    said, 

'  Happy  am  I,  for  the  daughters  will 

call  me  blessed.'  " 
Psalms  Ixxi.  19,  "O   God,    very  high, 

who  hast  done  great  things  "  ; 
and  cxxvi.    3,    "The   Lord   hath   done 

great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are 

glad." 
Psalm  cxi.  9,   "Holy  and   reverend  is 

his  name." 
Psalm    ciii.  7,    "  He   made   known  his 

ways  unto  IMoses,  his  acts  unto  the 

children  of  Israel." 
Psalms  xcviii.   1,   "His  holy  arm  hath 

gotten  him  the  victory  "  ; 
and  Ixxxix.   10,   "Thou  hast  scattered 

thine     enemies    with     thy    strong 

arm." 
1  Samuel  ii.  3,   "Talk  no  more  so  ex- 
ceeding proudly.  .   .  .  For  the  Lord 

is  a  God  of  knowledge." 
Psalm  cxiii.  7,  "He  raiseth  up  the  poor 

out  of  the  dust. 
And  lifteth  the  needy  out  of  the  dung- 

hilL" 

1  Samuel  ii.  5,  "They  that  were  hungry 
ceased. ' ' 


Isaiah  xli.  8,  "  But  thou,  Israel,  art  my 

servant." 
Psalms   xxx.  4   and   xcvii.  12,    ' '  Give 

thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  his 

holiness." 
Micah  vii.  20,  "Thou  wilt  perform  the 

truth  to  Jacob, 
And  the  mercv  to  Abraham." 


Luke  i.  46-55.     Wayne  Whipple,  using  Authorised  Version  throughout. 


LOOKING  TOWARD  THE  LIGHT  53 

The  Mafseillaise  of  the  Ancient  World 
This  "Maguificat"  is  tlie  battle-by mn  of  democracy.  It  is 
the  greatest  soug  in  history.  Sensing  a  child  within  her, 
Mary  feels  herself  equal  to  the  Eomau  Empire ;  and  she  an- 
nounces that  the  days  of  despotism  are  numbered.  Ctesar 
on  his  seven-hilled  throne  may  sacrilegiously  style  himself 
Augustus,  "  the  diviue  one."  But  Mary  as  confidently  disallows 
him  that  title.  Heaven  is  not  on  the  side  of  privilege  and  op- 
pression, she  affirms,  but  rather  on  the  side  of  the  trodden.  Eome 
is  great,  but  Galilee  with  God  is  greater.  In  this  song  three 
classes  of  people  are  objects  of  Our  Lady's  invective — "the 
proud,"  "the  mighty,"  and  "the  rich."  And  she  passes  upon 
them  a  threefold  sentence:  they  are  to  be  "scattered,"  "put 
down  from  their  seats,"  and  "sent  empty  away."  While  the 
"hungry  "  are  to  be  "  filled  with  good  things,"  and  the  oppressed 
classes  are  to  be  "holpeu."     .     .     . 

"  The  Marseillaise  "  of  the  ancient  world  !  And  this  hymn 
of  revolution,  pulsing  with  hatred  of  oppressors  and  with  fellow- 
feeling  for  all  the  oppressed  ones  of  earth,  was  composed  and  sung 
by  Mary  while  she  was  carrying  Jesus  underneath  her  heart. 
Holy  mother  of  God,  from  henceforth  in  very  deed  all  generations 
shall  call  thee  blessed  ! 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  22. 

Those  Hidden  Days  in  Jtjdea 
For  three  months  these  sweet  and  noble  women  dwelt  together, 
performing,  doubtless,  the  simple  labors  of  the  household.  Their 
thoughts,  their  converse,  their  employments,  must  be  left  wholly 
to  the  imagination.  And  yet,  it  is  impossible  not  to  be  curious 
in  regard  to  these  hidden  days  of  Judea,  when  the  mother  of  our 
Lord  was  already  fashioning  that  sacred  form  which,  in  due  time, 
not  far  from  her  residence,  perhaps  within  the  very  sight  of  it, 
was  to  be  lifted  up  upon  the  cross.  But  it  is  a  research  which 
we  have  no  means  of  pursuing.  Her  thoughts  must  be  impossible 
to  us,  as  our  thoughts  of  her  son  were  impossible  to  her.  No  one 
can  look  forward,  even  in  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  to  see  after- 
things  in  all  their  fullness  as  they  shall  be  ;  nor  can  one  who  has 
known  go  back  again  to  see  as  if  he  had  not  known. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  25. 


64        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Virgin  Returns  to  Nazareth  and  the  Neighbours 

And  Mary  abode  with  her  about  three  months,  and  returned  unto 
her  house. — Luke  i.  56. 

The  two  women  confided  in  each  other.  Mary  thought  of  the 
hard  journey  back  to  Nazareth  ;  of  the  caravan  of  curious  neigh- 
bors or  kinsfolk  which  she  must  join  ;  her  heart  sank.  Oh,  to  stay 
on  and  on,  protected  and  respected,  quiet  and  safe  !  Dreading  to 
return  to  her  own  home,  she  lingered  in  the  house  of  her  relative. 
Shielded,  trusted,  understood,  how  should  she  face  the  cruel  storm 
that  awaited  her?    She  clung  to  this  brief  slight  anchorage. 

The  suffering  element  in  the  life  of  the  sou  began  early  in  the 
soul  of  the  mother.  A  desolate  maternity  forecast  the  melancholy 
of  the  child. 

And  now,  the  inexorable  action  of  the  greatest  drama  in  the  world 
began  to  move.  The  claims  of  her  father's  roof  summoned  the 
absent  girl.  Her  kinswoman  might  shelter  her  no  longer.  With 
dignity,  with  sweetness,  and  in  silence,  Mary  gathered  her  courage, 
and  came  back  with  her  secret  to  her  home  and  her  neighbors. 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  12. 

**  His  Name  Is  John  ** 

"When  Elisabeth's  full  time  had  expired,  she  gave  birth  to  a 
son.  And  her  neighbours  and  relatives,  learning  that  the  Lord 
had  increased  His  mercy  toward  her,  congratulated  her. 

Now,  as  customary,  on  the  eighth  day,  when  they  came  to  cir- 
cumcise the  child,  they  desired  to  name  him  Zacharias,  after  his 
father  ;  but  his  mother  refused,  saying,  "It  shall  not  be  so  ;  his 
name  shall  be  John  !  " 

"Why,"  said  they,  "not  one  of  your  relatives  is  known  by 
that  name  !  " 

They  accordingly  made  signs  to  his  father  what  he  desired 
the  name  to  be.  And  having  asked  for  a  writing-tablet,  he  wrote 
upon  it  the  reply,  "His  name  is  John."  And  they  were  all 
surprised.  His  mouth  was  then  immediately  opened  ;  and  re- 
gaining the  use  of  his  tongue,  he  began  to  speak,  thanking  God. 

And  fear  came  over  all  their  neighbours  ;  and  these  events  were 
discussed  in  all  the  highlands  of  Judea.  And  all  the  hearers 
treasured  them  in  their  heart,  pondering,  "Whatever  can  this 
boy  be?  "  for  indeed  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  him. 

Luke  i.  57-66,     The  lYew  Testament  in  Blodeni  English,  Ferrar  Fentoii,  p.  90, 


Ill 

THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WOELD  EVER  HEARD 

There's  a  song  in  the  air 
And  a  star  in  the  sky. 

— Holland. 

The  Finger  of  the  Emperor 
Augustus  was  sitting  on  the  throne  of  the  Roman  Empire,  and 
the  touch  of  his  finger  could  set  the  machinery  of  government  in 
motion  over  well-nigh  the  whole  of  the  civilised  world.  He  was 
proud  of  his  power  and  wealth,  and  it  was  one  of  his  favourite  oc- 
cupations to  compile  a  register  of  the  populations  and  revenues  of 
his  vast  dominions.  So  he  issued  an  edict,  as  the  Evangelist  Luke 
says,  "that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed,"  or  to  express  ac- 
curately what  the  words  probably  mean,  that  a  census,  to  serve 
as  a  basis  for  future  taxation,  should  be  taken  of  all  his  subjects. 
One  of  the  countries  affected  by  this  decree  was  Palestine,  whose 
king,  Herod  the  Great,  was  a  vassal  of  Augustus.  It  set  the 
whole  land  in  motion  ;  for,  in  accordance  with  ancient  Jewish 
custom,  the  census  was  taken,  not  at  the  places  where  the  in- 
habitants were  at  the  time  residing,  but  at  the  places  to  which 
they  belonged  as  members  of  the  original  twelve  tribes. 
The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  11. 

All  the  World  to  Be  Enrolled 

About  that  time  an  edict  was  issued  by  the  Emperor  Augustus 
that  a  census  should  be  taken  of  the  whole  empire.  (This  was 
the  first  census  taken  while  Qnirinius  was  governor  of  Syria.) 
And  every  one  went  to  his  own  town  to  be  registered.  Among 
others  Joseph  went  up  from  the  town  of  Nazareth  in  Galilee  to 
Bethlehem,  the  town  of  David,  in  Judea — because  he  belonged  to 
the  family  and  house  of  David — to  be  registered  with  Mary,  his 
betrothed  wife,  who  was  about  to  become  a  mother. 

Luke  ii.  1-5.     The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  107, 

55 


56        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Edict  Reaches  Nazareth 

To  Nazareth,  as  to  other  villages  in  Palestine,  the  Eoman  fiat 
came. 

Long  and  severe  were  the  journeys  required  of  the  country- 
people  who  must  answer  to  this  enrollment  edict.  Every  citizen 
was  obliged  to  register  himself  at  the  town  whence  his  family 
had  sprung.  This  involved  a  national  commotion.  The  Jews 
were  not  only  in  the  stir  of  revolt,  but  in  the  irritation  of  travel, — 
poor  of  pocket,  uncomfortable  in  body,  and  sore  at  heart.     .     .     . 

Two  plain  people  of  Nazareth  started  at  dawn  oue  winter  day  to 
take  one  of  these  annoying  journeys.  Joseph  and  Mary,  husband 
and  wife,  traveled  as  poor  people  must ;  on  foot,  or  with  one 
beast  of  burden  between  them. 

There  was  a  little  town  about  six  miles  south  of  Jerusalem 
between  seventy  and  eighty  miles  from  Nazareth.  Bethlehem 
was  the  birthplace  of  David  the  King  ;  and  Joseph  the  builder, 
descendant  of  David,  must  register  there. 

Mary,  his  wife,  went  with  him.  Why  ?  She,  too,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  kings.  Did  she  own  some  bit  of  property  in  Bethlehem  ? — 
real  estate,  perhaps,  unmarketable,  but  taxable,  such  as  only 
made  her  "land  poor"  ;  giving  her  no  income  but  yielding  some 
to  Eome  1  Did  she,  too,  register  ?  But  this  was  not  necessary. 
Women  were  not  obliged  to  present  themselves  personally ;  a 
written  report  of  their  property  sufficed  for  them.  Why,  then, 
did  Mary— who  had  the  gravest  of  reasons  at  that  time  for  wish- 
ing rest  and  shelter — take  that  cruel  journey  over  one  of  the 
roughest  of  Palestinian  pathways  ? 

Precisely  because  she  had  reasons  for  doing  the  thing  that  her 
heart  craved.  And  her  heart  craved  that  she  should  at  that  time 
of  all  others  be  near  her  husband,  who  understood  her.  Joseph 
must  go  to  Bethlehem,  and  go  just  then.  Mary  would  not  allow 
him  to  leave  her  behind  alone.  The  circumstances  were  too  un- 
usual. Her  need  of  him  was  absolute.  Indeed,  it  might  not 
have  been  safe  for  her  to  stay  at  home  unprotected. 

There  was  another  reason  ;  but  how  far  this  influenced  her  only 
the  heart  of  Mary  ever  wholly  knew.  Did  she  share  this  vision- 
ary idea  with  the  quiet  man  who  loved  and  guarded  her,  as  they 
came  down  from  the  hill-country  into  the  caravan  route  1  Or  did 
she  keep  it  shyly  to  herself? 


THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WORLD  EVER  HEARD  57 

Her  child  would  have  been  born  in  Nazareth,  but  for  this  acci- 
dent of  the  census.  But  teas  it  only  an  accident  that  the  census 
must  come  into  the  question  just  then! — that  the  family  must 
register,  and  in  Bethlehem  !  Was  it  one  of  those  divine  incidents 
in  which  the  great  Will  rides  over  little  human  wills,  and  brings 
everything  out  as  no  one  could  possibly  have  expected,  as  no  oue 
could  have  planned  ?  For  Mary  was  a  reader  of  the  poets  of  her 
people;  and  learned  iu  all  their  Scriptures.  A  thousand  years 
ago  those  ancient  dreamers  had  associated  strange  things  with  the 
town  of  Bethlehem.  Did  she  remember  them  f 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  18. 


Why  Both  Joseph  and  Mary  Went  to  Bethlehem 
Now,  in  that  country  you  can  own  property,  but  you  can  lease 
it  and  you  need  not  live  there.  But  when  the  enrollment  season 
comes,  and  the  tax  is  to  be  paid,  you  have  to  be  present  iu  order 
to  testify  that  you  are  a  living  soul.  And  so  Joseph  and  Mary  had 
to  come.  The  histories  tell  us  that  Mary  owned  her  property  iu 
Nazareth,  and  she  was  an  independent  property  holder.  The 
Bible  does  not  give  us  very  much  information  about  Mary, but  it 
says  that  she  had  "her  own  house."  You  remember  reading 
that  when  she  returns  to  Nazareth  from  visiting  in  the  hill 
country  of  Judea,  she  returns  to  "her  own  house."  A  woman's 
name  is  never  mentioned  in  the  East  unless  she  is  an  inde- 
pendent property  owner,  and  sole  representative  of  her  line,  male 
and  female. 

Not  only,  therefore,  did  Mary  and  Joseph  own  property  in  Naza- 
reth, but  Mary  and  Joseph,  being  lineal  descendants  of  the  house 
of  David,  owned  property  iu  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Bethle- 
hem ;  because,  as  iu  Great  Britain,  the  projierty  is  entailed  from 
father  to  son,  and  can  never  be  sold.  You  can  dwell  in  Nazareth, 
but  at  the  enrollment  season  you  have  to  come  and  have  it  de- 
clared that  you  are  a  living  soul.  So  Mary  and  Joseph  had  to 
come  because  they  were  lineal  descendants  of  the  house  of  David, 
and  both  of  them  must  have  owned  property  in  Bethlehem  as  well 
as  in  Nazareth,  and  they  went  up  to  Bethlehem  to  pay  the  land 
tax. 

Jeaus  Christ  in  His  Homeland,  Mine.  Lydia  fil.  von  Finkelstein  Mountford, 

p.  59. 


58        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Long,  Hard  Jowrney 

Strictly  speaking,  there  were  no  roads  between  Nazareth  and 
Bethlehem.  Eome  built  roads  but  not  at  this  time  for  her  en- 
slaved Hebrews.  The  caravan  routes  that  traversed  Palestine 
were  hard  traveling.  Rough  past  rudeness  were  the  foot- ways 
and  the  hoof- ways  that  led  from  Nazareth  down  through  the  val- 
ley, over  the  mountainside,  and  rolling  rock,  and  jagged  lime- 
stone, and  through  sliding  dust ;  a  severe  journey  of  five  days  or 
more,  as  you  might  make  it,  according  to  one's  means  of  locomo- 
tion or  the  strength  of  the  travelers. 

The  wife's  store  of  strength  was  small  and  the  journey  dragged. 
She  was  such  a  young  creature ! — a  mere  girl — and  delicate  of 
organization,  as  we  know. 

Think  of  it  as  December,  too,  and  that  means  the  chilly  season 
in  Palestine,  with  roads  across  the  plains  in  bad  condition.  The 
rains  were  over ;  sunshine  smote  the  hills,  and  the  silver  leaves 
of  the  olives  glanced  like  little  steel  swords  in  the  wet  light. 
Even  frost  was  possible  at  that  time  of  the  year.  Snow  was  not 
unheard  of. 

The  two  travelers  arrived  at  Bethlehem  at  night,  footworn, 
chilled  and  faint.  The  wife,  perishing  of  fatigue,  had  passed  the 
stage  of  physical  suffering  when  one  takes  any  care  or  thought 
for  what  is  to  happen  next.  Because  of  her  weakness,  they  had 
lagged  behind  the  other  travelers,  and  the  town  was  already 
brimming  over  with  strangers  like  themselves.  Every  house  was 
crowded.  Her  anxious  husband  took  her  from  threshold  to 
threshold  in  vain.  The  climb  to  the  village  up  a  steep  hill  had 
added  a  last  hardship.  The  faint  light,  swinging  on  a  rope  across 
a  doorway,  signified  the  village  inn.  They  toiled  up  ;  the  woman 
half  dead  at  this  last  effort.     But  the  khan  could  not  admit  them. 

Alarmed  by  the  condition  of  his  wife,  Joseph  persisted  man- 
fully in  his  determination  to  find  her  shelter.  Mary  asked  no 
questions,  expressed  no  concern.  Her  head  fell  upon  her  breast. 
The  poor,  homesick  young  creature  was  dumb  with  suffering. 
Oh,  the  mistake  of  coming  on  this  miserable  journey  !  She 
thought  of  her  home  at  Nazareth,  of  her  bed,  perhaps  of  her 
mother's  face ;  or  of  that  other,  Elisabeth,  who  had  understood 
and  cherished  her. 

Dully,  at  length,  she  heard  her  husband  say  that  there  was  a 


THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WORLD  EVER  HEARD  50 

stable  behind  the  inn,  and  that  for  the  common  humanity  of  the 
deed,  the  people  of  the  khan  would  let  her  in.  He  carried  her  to 
the  stable :  she  crept  among  the  straw,  like  the  animals  around 
her,  and  there — hastened  probably  by  her  cruel  journey— the 
anguish  of  motherhood  overtook  the  exhausted  wife. 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  20. 

No  Room  for  Them  in  the  Inn 
The  heavy  languor,  or  even  the  commencing  pangs  of  travail, 
must  necessarily  have  retarded  the  i^rogress  of  the  maiden  mother. 
.  .  They  arrived  at  the  khan — probably  the  very  one  which 
had  been  known  for  centuries  as  the  House  of  Chimham,  and  if 
so,  covering  perhaps  the  very  ground  on  which,  one  thousand 
years  before,  had  stood  the  hereditary  house  of  Boaz,  of  Jesse, 
and  of  David — every  space  was  occupied.  The  enrollment  had 
drawn  so  many  strangers  to  the  little  town,  that  "there  was  no 
room  for  them  in  the  inn." 

In  the  rude  limestone  grotto  attached  to  it  as  a  stable,  among 
the  hay  and  straw  spread  for  the  food  and  rest  of  the  cattle,  weary 
with  their  day's  journey,  far  from  home,  in  the  midst  of  strangers, 
in  the  chilly  winter  night — in  circumstances  devoid  of  all  earthly 
comfort  or  splendor  that  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  a  humbler 
nativity — Christ  was  born. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D  ,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  10. 

The  Innkeeper's  Lament — **If  I  Had  Known!*' 

Could  I  kuow 
That  they  were  so  important?     Just  the  two, 
No  servauts,  just  a  workman  sort  of  man, 
Leading  a  donkey,  and  his  wife  thereon 
,  Drooping  and  pale, — I  saw  them  not  myself, 

My  servants  must  have  driven  them  away  ; 
But  had  I  seen  them,  how  was  I  to  know? 
Were  inns  to  welcome  stragglers,  up  and  down 
In  all  out  towns  from  Beersheba  to  Dan, 
Till  He  should  come?     And  how  were  men  to  know? 

There  was  a  sign,  they  fnv.  a  heavenly  light 
Resplendent ;  but  I  had  no  time  for  stars; 
And  there  were  songs  of  angels  in  the  air 
Out  on  the  hills  ;  but  how  was  I  to  hear 
Amid  the  thousand  clauiors  of  an  inn  ? 


60        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Of  course,  if  I  had  known  them,  who  they  were, 

And  who  was  He  that  should  be  boi'n  that  night,     .     .     . 

I  would  have  turned  the  whole  inn  upside  down, 

His  honor,  Marcus  Lucius,  and  the  rest, 

And  sent  them  all  to  stables,  had  I  known  !     .     .     . 

Alas  !  alas  !  to  miss  a  chance  like  that ! 
This  inn  that  might  he  chief  among  them  all, 
The  birthplace  of  ilessiah, — had  I  known  ! 
7'he  Inn  That  Missed  lis  Chance,  Amos  R.  Wells,  The  Sunday  School  Times, 
December  2,  1911,  Vol.  LIII,  p.  619. 


She  Brought  forth  Her  First-born  Son 

Aud  she  gave  birth  to  her  first-borii  sou  ;  and  Avrappiug  Him  iu 
baby-clothes,  she  laid  Him  iu  a  mauger,  because  there  was  no 
room  for  them  iu  the  inn. 

Luke  ii.  7.     The  Neio  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  91. 

The  Manger  Has  Offended  Many 

There,  amid  the  straw  which  served  as  bedding  for  the  beasts, 
far  from  all  assistance,  ou  a  cold  winter's  night,  the  hour  came 
for  her  to  be  delivered,  and  she  brought  forth  unto  the  world, 
Jesus. 

The  object  of  assault  for  nineteen  centuries,  this  humble  birth, 
the  adoration  of  some,  to  others  has  seemed  but  a  folly  aud  a 
libel. 

"  Preserve  me  from  it  all  ! "  cried  the  impious  Marciou,  in  the 
very  first  centuries.  "Away  with  these  pitiful  swaddling-bands 
and  this  manger,  unworthy  of  the  God  whom  I  adore." 

In  vain  did  Tertulliau  reply,  "Nothing  is  more  worthy  of  God 
than  that,  iu  order  to  save  man.  He  should  trample  under  foot 
our  perishable  grandeur,  and  so  adjudge  these  joys  unworthy  of 
Himself  and  His."  Iu  vain  have  all  our  doctors  who  have  fol- 
lowed Him  made  manifest  to  us  the  high  counsel,  so  full  of 
wisdom  and  merciful  compassion,  which  moved  the  Word  In- 
carnate to  this  self-abasement ;  the  God  that  was  born  of  a 
woman  and  laid  in  a  manger  has  offended  the  haughty  spirit  of 
man,  and  Marcion's  cry  is  repeated  still  from  century  to  century. 
The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abb6  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  47. 


THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WORLD  EVER  HEARD  61 

**  Mary,  Cover  That  Tender  Baby  jBody  !  ** 

So  St.  Luke  shows  us  this  Virgiu  Mother,  immediately  upon 
her  deliverance,  lavishing  ui^on  her  Holy  Infant  the  cares  ordi- 
narily left  to  strangers  ;  she  envelops  Him  in  swaddling  bands 
and  lays  Him  to  rest  amid  the  straw  of  the  manger.  "  She  must 
cloak  the  New  Adam  from  the  cold  winter  air  ;  reverence,  too, 
bade  her  clothe  the  Babe,  as  well  as  necessity. 

Cover  Him,  Mary  ;  cover  that  tender  Baby  body  ;  shield  Him 
in  thy  maiden  bosom  !  Dost  understand  thy  motherhood  ■?  Hast 
thou  not  any  perturbation  at  beholding  this  thine  infant  One  ? 
Hast  thou  no  fear  to  bare  unto  Him  thy  maternal  breasts?  For 
what  Child  is  this,  Who  reaches  up  to  thee  His  divine  hands'? 
Adore  Him  even  whilst  thou  dost  nourish  Him,  what  time  the 
angels  summon  new  hosts  of  invisible  worshii:)ers." 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abbe  Coustaut  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p,  50, 

Gjntrary  to  Common  Sense  and  Scripture 

There  is  a  general  imi^ressiou  that  Josej)h  and  Mary  were  very 
poor.  .  .  .  Simply  because,  in  all  the  pictures,  we  see  the 
Babe  lying  naked  in  the  straw.  Isn't  that  contrary  to  common 
sense  and  Scripture?  What  mother  would  dream  of  laying  a 
new-born  baby  naked  in  the  straw?  .  .  .  And  Mary,  the 
descendant  of  King  David,  Mary  who  had  found  favour  with  God, 
Mary  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel,  Mary  to  do  such  a  thing !  It 
would  be  impossible.  The  commonest  and  stupidest  woman  in 
our  land  must  weave  swaddling  garments  for  her  first-born  child. 
And  instead  of  doing  that,  Mary  should  have  had  the  garments 
of  the  royal  house  of  David,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
her  baby  to  be  found  lying  naked  in  the  straw. 

Again,  it  is  contrary  to  Scripture.  One  of  the  signs  by  which 
the  shepherds  were  to  know  the  child  was  that  they  should  find 
Him  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes.  And  yet  all  the  artists 
paint  this  Baby  naked,  because  they  say  it  is  so  pretty  ;  and  so 
for  imaginary  prettiness  we  sacrifice  the  historical  record.  For 
the  Scriptures  say  that  shall  be  the  sign,  "  Ye  shall  find  Him 
wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes." 

Jesus  Christ  in  His  Homeland,  Mme.  Lydia  M,  von  Finklestein  Mountford, 
p.  29. 


62        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 
The  Vifgin*s  Lullaby 

The  Virgin  stills  the  crying 
Of  Jesus,  sleepless  lying  ; 
And,  singing  for  His  pleasure, 
Thus  calls  upon  her  treasure  : 

My  darling,  do  not  weep ; 

My  Jesu,  sleep. 

O  lamb,  my  love  inviting, 
O  star,  my  soul  delighting, 
O  flower  of  my  own  bearing, 
O  jewel  past  comparing, 

My  darling,  do  not  weep ; 

My  Jesu,  sleep. 

— From  the  Latin. 

The  Noise  and  Bustle  Broke  out  Again 

Next  moruiug  the  noise  and  bustle  broke  out  again  in  the  inn 
and  inn  yard  ;  the  citizens  of  Bethlehem  went  about  their  work  ; 
the  registration  proceeded  ;  and  in  the  meantime  the  greatest 
event  in  the  history  of  the  world  had  taken  place.  "We  never 
know  where  a  great  beginning  may  be  happening.  Every  arrival 
of  a  new  soul  in  the  world  is  a  mystery  and  a  shut  casket  of 
possibilities.  Joseph  and  Mary  alone  knew  the  tremendous  secret 
— that  on  her,  the  peasant  maiden  and  carpenter's  bride,  had 
been  conferred  the  honour  of  being  the  mother  of  Him  who  was 
the  Messiah  of  her  race,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and  the  Son 
of  God. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  12. 

What  the  Shepherds  Saw  and  Heard 

And  there  were  in  the  same  country  shepherds  abiding  in  the 
field,  keeping  watch  over  their  flock  by  night.  And  lo,  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  came  upon  tliem,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone 
round  about  them  :  and  they  were  sore  afraid.  And  the  angel 
said  unto  them :  Fear  not,  for,  behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings 
of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is  born 
this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord. 
And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you  ;  Ye  shall  find  the  babe  wrapped 
in  swaddling  clothes,  lying  in  a  manger. 


A.  Edelfelt 
THE  ONLY  MELODY  OF  HEAVEN  EVER  HEARD  BY  MORTAL  EARS 


THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WORLD  EVER  HEARD  03 

Aud  suddenly  tliere  was  with  the  augel  a  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  host  praising-  God,  and  saying, 

{Gloria  in  Excelais) 
Glory  to  God  iu  the  highest, 
Aud  on  earth  peace, 
Good  will  toward  men. 

Luke  ii.  8-14,     Authorised  Version. 

The  Only  Melody  of  Heaven  Ever  Heard  by  Mortal  Ears 
With  this  ever-memorable  anthem — the  first  and  last  melody  of 
heaven  ever  heard  by  mortal  ears — the  light  faded  from  the  hills, 
as  the  angels  went  away  into  heaven,  and  left  earth  once  more  in 
the  shadow  of  night,  knowing  and  thinking  nothing  of  that  which 
so  supremely  interested  distant  worlds.  Wondering  at  such  a 
vision,  and  full  of  simple  trust,  the  shepherds  had  only  one 
thought — to  see  the  babe  and  its  mother  for  themselves.  Climb- 
ing the  hill,  therefore,  with  eager  haste,  they  hurried  to  Beth- 
lehem, and  there  found  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  the  babe  lying  in 
a  manger,  as  had  been  told  them. 

No  details  are  given  :  no  heightening  of  the  picture  of  this 
first  act  of  reverence  to  the  new-born  Saviour.  Nor  are  they 
needed.  The  lowliness  of  the  visitors,  the  pure  image  of  the 
Virgin  Mother  aud  her  Child,  are  better  left  in  their  own  sim- 
plicity. Infancy  is  forever  dignified  by  the  manger  of  Bethlehem  : 
womanhood  is  ennobled  to  its  purest  ideal  in  Mary :  man,  as 
such,  receives  abiding  honor,  iu  the  earliest  accepted  homage  to 
her  Son  being  that  of  the  simple  poor. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  124. 

The  Shepherds  Go  and  Find  the  Babe 
The  messengers  then  withdrew  from  them  to  heaven  ;  and  the 
shepherds  said  to  one  another, 

"Come  now,  let  us  go  as  far  as  Bethlehem,  in  order  that  we 
may  see  this  event  which  the  Lord  has  announced  to  us." 

They  accordingly  went  with  all  speed,  and  fouud  Mary  and 
Joseph,  and  the  Infant  lying  in  the  manger.  Then  when  they 
saw  it,  they  made  known  the  event  told  to  them  concerning  that 
Child  ;  and  all  who  heard  it  wondered  at  what  was  said  respect- 
ing Him  by  the  shepherds. 


64        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Mary,  however,  treasured  up  all  these  events  in  her  miud, 
reflecting  upon  them  in  her  heart. 

The  shepherds  then  returned,  worshiping  and  praising  God 
for  all  that  they  had  heard  and  seen,  even  as  it  had  been  an- 
nounced to  them. 

Luke  ii.  15-20.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fentou,  p.  91. 

The  Mote  Deat  to  Her  Mother-heart 
Foremost  amongst  those  who,  wondering,  had  heard  what  the 
shepherds  told,  was  she  whom  most  it  concerned,  who  laid  it  up 
deepest  in  her  heart,  and  brought  to  it  treasured  stores  of  memory. 
It  was  the  mother  of  Jesus.  These  many  mouths,  all  connected 
with  this  Child  could  never  have  been  far  away  from  her  thoughts. 
And  now  that  He  was  hers,  yet  not  hers— belonged,  yet  did  not 
seem  to  belong,  to  her — He  would  be  the  more  dear  to  her  mother- 
heart  for  what  made  Him  so  near,  and  yet  parted  Him  so  far  from 
her.  And  upon  all  His  history  seemed  to  lie  such  wondrous  light, 
that  she  could  only  see  the  path  behind,  so  far  as  she  had  trodden 
it ;  while  upon  that  on  which  she  was  to  move,  was  such  dazzling 
brightness,  that  she  could  scarce  look  upon  the  present,  and  dared 
not  gaze  towards  the  future. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jes}is  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxou., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  191. 

The  Circwmcision  and  Presentation 
And  when  the  eight  days  were  completed  for  His  circumcision, 
they  gave  Him  the  name  of  Jesus  ;  that  being  the  name  given  by 
the  angel  before  His  conception. 

And  after  the  completion  of  the  days  of  their  purification,  as 
directed  under  the  law  of  Moses,  they  took  Him  to  Jerusalem,  in 
order  to  present  Him  to  the  Lord  ;  as  it  is  recorded  in  the  law  of 
the  Lord,  that  "  Every  male  that  is  the  first-born  of  a  mother 
shall  be  set  apart  as  holy  to  the  Lord  "  :  and  to  offer  a  sacrifice  in 
accordance  with  a  command  in  the  law  of  the  Lord,  "A  pair  of 
turtle-doves,  or  two  young  pigeons." 

Luke  ii.  21-24.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  91. 

Free  from  Physical  Blemish 
The  first-born  son  was  to  be  presented  before  God  in  the  Temple, 
and  consecrated  to  His  service,  a  month  after  birth,  but  a  money 


THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WORLD  EVER  HEARD  05 

payment  of  not  more  than  five  shekels,  and,  in  the  case  of  a  par- 
ent's poverty,  of  less,  was  accepted  as  a  "redemption"  of  the 
rights  this  involved.  Rabbinical  law,  in  the  time  of  Mary,  had 
made  a  refinement  on  the  original  statute  of  Moses,  no  child  being 
required  to  be  "presented  to  the  Lord"  who  was  in  anyway 
maimed,  or  defective,  or  had  any  blemish,  so  as  to  be  unfit  for  a 
priest — a  rule  which  shows  an  incidental  light  on  Mary's  child, 
such  as  might  have  been  expected.  He  must  have  been,  in  all 
points,  without  physical  blemish. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  130. 

Not  See  Death  Till  He  had  Seen  the  Anointed 

There  was  then  in  Jerusalem  a  man  named  Simeon,  honest  and 
devout,  who  was  awaiting  the  gladdening  of  Israel ;  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  upon  him.  And  he  had  been  promised  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  he  would  not  see  death  before  he  had  seen  the 
Lord's  Messiah.  And  he  came  into  the  temple  full  of  the  Spirit ; 
and  when  the  parents  of  the  Child  Jesus  entered  for  the  purpose  of 
observing  the  custom  of  the  law  concerning  Him,  he  took  Him 
into  his  own  arms,  and  praised  God,  and  said  : 

"  Now  release  Your  servant.  Master." 
Luke  ii.  25-29.     The  Neiv  Testament  in  3Iodern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  91, 

Simeon's  Prophecy 

{Nunc  Dimiiiis) 
"  Lord,  now  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace, 
According  to  Thy  word  ; 
For  mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation, 
Which  Thou  hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  people  ; 
A  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles, 
And  the  glory  of  Thy  people  Israel." 

Luke  ii.  29-32,     Authorii^ed  Version. 

**A  Sword  Shall  Ron  Throttgh  Yowr  Own  Sool!" 

Joseph  and  His  mother,  however,  wondered  at  what  was  spoken 
concerning  Him.  And  Simeon  blessed  them,  and  said  to  Mary, 
His  mother  : 

"Remember,  He  is  appointed  for  the  falling  and  rising  again 
of  many  in  Israel ;  and  for  an  object  to  be  abused  j  yes,  and  a 


66        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

sword  shall  run  through  your  own  soul  itself,  until  the  designs  of 
many  hearts  can  be  laid  bare." 

Luke  ii.  33  35.     The  Neio  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  91, 

Aged  Anna  of  Galilee 

At  that  instant,  we  are  told,  an  aged  woman,  Anna  by  name, 
of  the  tribe  of  Asher,  and  therefore  a  Galilean,  approached  the 
gate.  She  was  eighty-four  years  of  age,  and  had  thus  lived 
through  the  long  sad  period  of  war,  conquest,  and  oppression, 
which  had  intensified,  in  every  Jewish  heart,  the  yearning  for 
national  deliverance  by  the  promised  Messiah.  She  must  have 
remembered  the  fatal  war  between  the  Asmonean  brothers, 
Aristobulus  and  Hyrcanus,  which  had  brought  all  the  misery 
of  her  people  in  its  train,  and  she  had  likely  seen  the  legions  of 
Pompey,  when  they  encamped  on  the  hills  round  Jerusalem. 
The  rise  of  Herod  was  a  recollection  of  her  middle  life,  and  its 
dreadful  story  of  war,  murder,  and  crime  must  have  sunk  into 
her  heart,  as  it  had  into  the  hearts  of  all  her  race. 

Her  long  life  had  been  spent  in  pious  acts  and  services,  for, 
after  she  had  been  seven  years  a  wife,  her  husband  had  died, 
leaving  her,  doubtless,  still  very  young,  since  Hebrew  girls  mar- 
ried at  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age.  She  had  never  married 
again,  a  fact  mentioned  by  St.  Luke,  in  accordance  with  the  feel- 
ing of  the  day,  to  her  honor,  but  had  been,  in  the  words  of 
St.  Paul,  "a  widow  indeed,"  "trusting  in  God,"  and  "continu- 
ing in  supplications  and  prayers  night  and  day."  She  might,  in 
truth,  be  said  to  have  lived  in  the  Temple,  and  to  have  spent  her 
life  in  fastings  and  prayers  ;  having  very  likely  come  from  Galilee 
to  be  near  the  holy  place,  and  thus  able  to  give  herself  up  to  the 
religious  exercises,  on  the  spot,  where,  in  the  eyes  of  a  Jew,  they 
were  most  sacred. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  133. 

The  Arrival  of  the  Wise  Men 

After  the  birth  of  Jesus  at  Bethlehem  in  Judea,  in  the  reign 
of  King  Herod,  some  astrologers  from  the  East  arrived  in  Jeru- 
salem, asking : 

"Where  is  the  new-born  King  of  the  Jews?  for  we  saw  His 
star  in  the  east,  and  have  come  to  do  homage  to  Him." 


THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WORLD  EVER  HEARD  67 

Wheu  Kiug  Herod  heard  of  this,  he  was  much  troubled,  and 
so,  too,  was  all  Jerusalem. 

Matthew  ii.  1-3.  -The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modem  English,  p.  45. 

Great  Was  the  Surprise 
Whether  they  set  out  from  Babylon,  from  Persepolis,  or  from 
some  other  city  of  the  Parthian  Empire  (at  that  time  master  of 
the  East),  the  Magi  must  have  been  many  long  months  journey- 
ing ;  and  they  had  proceeded  apparently  without  any  further 
guidance  from  the  star,  since  we  see  them  entering  Judea  quite 
uncertain  as  to  the  spot  where  the  Messiah  was  to  be  found,  and 
coming  to  Jerusalem  to  clear  up  all  their  doubts.  The  Holy 
City  was  accustomed  to  seeing  within  her  walls  caravans  from  the 
far  distant  Orient,  with  their  striking  costumes,  and  long  files  of 
camels  laden  with  luggage.  But  great  was  the  surprise  when 
these  strangers  were  heard  to  inquire,  "  Where  is  the  King  of  the 
Jews  who  has  been  born  *?  We  have  seen  His  star  in  the  East, 
and  are  come  to  adore  Him." 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abbe  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  64. 

Assembling  the  Prelates 

So  assembling  the  chief  priests  and  professors,  he  demanded  of 
them  where  the  Messiah  would  be  born. 

They  replied,  "  In  Bethlehem  of  Judea  ;  "  for  it  is  recorded  by 
the  prophet : 

"And  you,  Bethlehem,  Judah's  laud, 
Are  not  the  least  among  the  districts  of  Judah ; 
For  out  of  you  shall  come  the  Leader 
"Who  shall  shepherd  My  people  Israel." 
Mattheiv  ii.  4-6.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  34. 

Herod  Secludes  the  Wise  Men 
He  resolved  to  separate  the  Magi,  not  only  from,  the  Jews,  who 
must  naturally  be  all  afire  with  emotion  at  this  tale,  but  even 
from  his  own  associates,  who  might  well  have  warned  them 
against  his  hypocrisy.  He  summoned  them  to  him  therefore  in 
secret,  and  feigning  great  interest  in  their  quest,  he  made  exact 
inquiry  as  to  the  star,  particularly  as  to  the  time  when  it  had 
made  its  appearance. 


68        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN  ' 

So  soon  as  there  was  nothing  more  to  learn,  ''Go  to  Beth- 
lehem," he  said  to  them,  "seek  zealously  for  the  child,  and  as 
soon  as  you  have  found  him  make  it  known  to  me,  in  order  that 
I  may  go  also  to  adore  him. " 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abb6  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  66. 

''Lo,  the  Star!" 
When  they  had  heard  the  king,  they  departed  ;  and  lo,  the 
star,  which  they  saw  in  the  east,  went  before  them,  till  it  came 
and  stood  over  where  the  young  child  was.     When  they  saw  the 
star,  they  rejoiced  with  exceeding  great  joy. 
Maithew  ii.  9,  10.     Authorised  Version. 

''By  Whose  Bright  Cowrse  Led  On ** 

"  '  A  star,  not  seen  before,  in  heaven  appearing, 
Guided  the  wise  men  thither  from  the  east. 
To  honour  thee  with  incense,  myrrh,  and  gold ; 
By  whose  bright  course  led  on  they  found  the  place, 
Affirming  it  Thy  star,  new-graven  in  heaven, 
By  which  they  knew  the  King  of  Israel  born.'  " 
The  Poetical  Worka  of  John  Milton,  Vol.  II.     Paradise  Regained,  Book  I,  p.  17. 

**  Tis  a  Window  of  Paradise !  ** 
"  Look  yonder  !     A  light  on  the  hills  !    I  saw  it  appear." 
Amazement  was  in  the  tone.     .     .     .     "Nay,  'tis  a  window 

of  paradise  !    Or  maybe  that  time  is  come  when  the  three  great 

stars  should  gather  side  by  side.     Do  you  not  remember  the  talk 

of  the  astrologers  ?  " 

"I  say  'tis  a  light  on  the  hills."     [The  man]  now  spoke  in  a 

husky,  solemn  whisper.     "  See,  'tis  larger  j  and  I  would  think  it 

near  the  village  of  Bethlehem." 
After  a  moment  of  silence  he  added,  with  a  laugh:  "Why 

stand  we  here  and  whisper,  like  a  lot  of  women  ?    Let  us  move 

on." 
Again  he  seemed  to  hear  peals  of  song  in  the  sky  and  their 

rhythm  in  hoof  and  scabbard.     It  put  him  in  mind  of  that 

strauge,  mysterious  chant  of  the  old  singer. 

Soon  he  drew  rein,  saying  :   "Halt  and  listen  !  "    They  stopped, 

conscious  only  of  the  great  silence  of  the  night.     [He]  felt  for 

the  arm  of  his  friend. 


THE  BEST  NEWS  THE  WORLD  EVER  HEARD  69 

''What  think  you?"  said  he,  his  voice  full  of  wonder.     "I 
doubt  not  the  sound  is  in  our  fancy." 

"See  !    The  star  !     It  grows  ! "  said  [his  companion]  eagerly. 
"'Tis  like  a  mighty  lantern  hung  in  the  dome  of  the  sky." 
Vergilius,  Irving  Bacheller,  p.  266. 

Finding  the  Child 
And  having  come  to  the  house,  they  saw  the  young  Child  with 
His  mother  Mary ;  and  prostrating  themselves,  they  paid  Him 
homage  :  and  having  opened  their  treasures,  they  presented  Him 
with  gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh,  as  a  tribute. 

Matthew  ii,  11.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  35. 


IV 
DOWN  INTO  EGYPT 

Her  monuments  shall  last  when  Egypt's  fall. 

— Young. 

The  "Wise  Men  Warned 
But  afterwards,  baviug  been  warned  in  a  dream  not  to  go  back 
to  Herod,  they  returned  to  their  own  country  by  another  road, 
Matthew  ii.  12.    The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  45. 

Legends  of  the  Magi 

Pious  legends  .  .  .  robe  these  wise  men  in  the  royal  purple, 
set  crowns  upon  their  brows,  depict  their  features  and  their  ex- 
pression ;  their  names  even  are  made  known  to  us. 

''The  first  was  called  Melchior,"  says  the  Venerable  Bede. 
"  He  was  an  old  man,  with  white  hair  and  long  beard  ;  he  offered 
gold  to  the  Lord,  as  to  his  King.  The  second,  Caspar  by  name, 
young,  beardless,  ruddy  of  hue,  offered  to  Jesus,  in  his  gift  of 
incense,  the  homage  due  to  His  divinity.  The  third,  of  black 
complexion,  with  heavy  beard,  was  called  Baltasar.  The  myrrh 
he  held  withiu  his  hand  prefigured  the  death  of  the  Son  of  Man." 

Unhappily,  these  details  have  no  authority  at  all ;  for  it  is  only 
in  the  sixth  century  that  St.  Csesar  of  Aries  confers  upon  the 
Magi  the  title  of  kings,  now  so  generally  attributed  to  them,  and 
it  is  in  the  ninth  that  we  find  their  names  cited  for  the  first  time. 
Two  points  only  appear  to  be  certain  ;  these  are,  that  the  Magi 
were  three  in  number  and  that  Persia  was  their  native  country. 
The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abb6  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  67. 

The  "Warning  to  Joseph 
After  their  departure,  a  messenger  from  the  Lord  also  appeared 
to  Joseph  in  a  vision,  saying  : 

"  Arise  !  take  the  Child  and  His  mother,  and  fly  to  Egypt,  and 
remain  there  until  I  tell  you  ;  for  Herod  is  about  to  hunt  out  the 
Child  to  murder  Him." 

Matthew  ii.  13.     The  New  Testament  in  3Iodern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  35. 

70 


H.  Hofmann,   1S34-' 


HURRYIXG    DOWN    TO    EGYPT 


DOWN  INTO  EGYPT  71 

The  Flight  to  Egypt 

Joseph  awoke,  aud,  taking  the  Child  aud  His  mother  by  night, 
went  into  Egypt. 

Matthew  ii.  14.    The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  45. 

Murdering  All  the  Baby  Boys 
When  Herod  found  that  he  had  been  trifled  with  by  the 
astrologers,  he  was  very  angry.  He  sent  and  put  to  death  all  the 
boys  in  Bethlehem  aud  the  whole  of  that  neighbourhood,  who 
were  two  years  old  or  under,  guided  by  the  date  which  he  had 
ascertained  from  the  astrologers.  Then  were  fulfilled  these  words 
spoken  in  the  Prophet  Jeremiah,  where  he  says  : 

"  A  voice  was  heard  iu  Ramah, 
Weepiug  aud  much  lameutation  ; 
Rachel,  weepiug  for  her  children, 
Refused  all  comfort  because  they  were  not." 

Matthew  ii.  16-18.     The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English, 
p.  45. 

"Better  to  Be  Herod's  Sow  Than  His  Son!** 

This  massacre  made  little  stir  in  Judea ;  and  Eama  alone 
hearkened  to  the  piercing  shrieks  of  the  mothers.  In  those  days 
what  mattered  the  sacrifice  of  a  few  little  children  to  a  monarch's 
caprice?  Antiquity  had  small  respect  for  babyhood;  further- 
more, the  reign,  now  just  at  its  close,  had  been  nothing  but  a  tissue 
of  murders,  tortures,  aud  atrocious  cruelties ;  so  that,  according 
to  the  address  of  the  Jewish  ambassadors  to  Augustus,  ''the  living 
coveted  the  lot  of  the  victims."  Under  such  circumstances  one 
can  conceive  how  easily  profane  historians  might  pass  over  a 
deed  so  unimportant  in  their  eyes. 

Nevertheless,  Augustus  seems  to  have  had  some  knowledge  of 
the  fact,  for  Macrobius  has  preserved  this  characteristic  speech 
of  his  :  "Upon  the  news  that  Herod  had  sacrificed  his  own  son, 
among  the  children  of  two  years  of  age  butchered  by  him  in 
Syria,  '  It  were  far  pleasanter,'  quoth  the  emperor,  '  to  be  Herod's 
soio  than  his  son ! '  " 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abb6  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  72. 


72        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN  ^ 

What  Joseph  Mwst  Have  Done  in  Egypt 
If  Herod  lived  three  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ,  Joseph 
and  Mary  must  have  stayed  iu  Egypt  that  length  of  time.  Nor 
would  it  be  difficult  for  Joseph  to  find  support,  as  the  different 
classes  of  Jewish  workmen  in  Egypt  were  associated  iu  guilds, 
which  maintained  those  out  of  employment,  much  as  trades' 
unions  do  now.  The  goldsmiths,  the  silversmiths,  the  nail- 
makers,  the  coppersmiths,  and  the  weavers,  are  especially  men- 
tioned as  being  banded  together  in  such  associations,  which  suj)- 
ported  any  stranger  of  their  respective  crafts  till  he  found  work. 

The  workers  in  wood,  in  all  probability,  had  such  a  union  as 
well  ;  and  Joseph,  moreover,  though  called  a  carpenter  in  the 
Gospels,  may  have  been  more,  for  the  word  does  not  necessarily 
mean  a  worker  in  wood  only,  but  a  wagon  smith  and  other  occu- 
pations as  well.  In  its  Hebrew  sense,  it  may  mean,  indeed,  any 
kind  of  trade  which  uses  cutting  instruments,  and  is  used  indiffer- 
ently of  workers  in  metal,  wood,  or  stone. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  151. 

The  Death  of  Herod 

And  now  Herod  altered  his  testament  upon  the  alteration  of  his 
mind ;  for  he  appointed  Antipas,  to  whom  he  had  before  left  the 
kingdom,  to  be  tetrarch  of  Galilee  and  Perea,  and  granted  the 
kingdom  to  Archelaus.  He  also  gave  Gaulonitis  and  Trachonitis, 
and  Paneas  to  Philip,  who  was  his  son.  .  .  .  He  also  made 
provision  for  all  the  rest  of  his  kindred  by  giving  them  sums  of 
money  and  annual  revenues,  and  so  left  them  all  in  a  wealthy 
condition.     .     .     . 

A  man  he  was  of  great  barbarity  towards  all  men  equally,  and 
a  slave  to  his  passion  ;  but  above  the  consideration  of  what  was 
right ; — yet  he  was  favoured  by  fortune  as  much  as  any  man  ever 
was,  for,  from  a  private  man  he  became  king :  and  though  he 
were  encompassed  with  ten  thousand  dangers,  he  got  clear  of 
them  all,  and  continued  his  life  till  a  very  old  age.  But  then, 
as  to  the  affairs  of  his  family  and  children,  in  which  indeed,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  opinion,  he  was  also  very  fortunate  because 
he  was  able  to  conquer  his  enemies ;  yet,  in  my  opinion,  he  was 
herein  very  unfortunate. 

But  then  Salome  and  Alexis,  before  the  king's  death  was  made 


DOWN  INTO  EGYPT  Y3 

kuowD,  dismissed  those  that  were  shut  up  in  the  Hippodrome. 
.  .  .  Now  the  king's  death  was  made  public,  when  Salome 
and  Alexis  gathered  the  soldiery  together  in  the  amjihitheatre  at 
Jericho  ;  and  the  first  thing  they  did  was,  they  read  Herod's 
letter  written  to  the  soldiery  thanking  them  for  their  fidelity  and 
good  will  to  him,  and  exhorting  them  to  afford  his  son  Archelaus, 
whom  he  had  appointed  for  their  king,  like  fidelity  and  good 
will. 

The  Works  of  Flavius  Josephus,  edited  by  William  Whiston,  A.  M.,  Vol.  II* 
Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  Book  XVII,  Chapter  VIII,  p.  22. 

*'Out  of  Egypt'' 

Eemaiuing  there  [in  Egypt]  until  the  death  of  Herod,  so  that 
the  statement  from  the  Lord,  through  the  prophet,  might  be  ful- 
filled, which  declared : 

''  I  have  called  My  Son  out  of  Egypt." 

When  Herod  was  dead,  however,  a  messenger  of  the  Lord  ap- 
peared to  Joseph  in  a  vision,  while  in  Egypt,  and  said  : 

"Arise  !  take  the  Child  and  His  mother,  and  go  into  the  land 
of  Israel ;  for  they  are  dead  who  sought  the  Child's  life." 

He  then  arose,  took  the  Child  and  His  mother,  and  came  into 

the  land  of  Israel. 

3Iatthew  ii.  15,  19-21.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton, 
p.  35. 

That  He  Should  Be  Called  a  Nazarene 

But,  hearing  that  Archelaus  had  succeeded  his  father  Herod  as 
King  of  Judea,  he  was  afraid  to  go  back  there  ;  and,  having  been 
warned  in  a  dream,  he  went  into  the  part  of  the  country  called 
Galilee.  And  there  he  settled  in  the  town  of  Nazareth,  in  fulfil- 
ment of  these  words  in  the  Prophets — "He  will  be  called  a 
Nazarene. " 

3I((tthew  ii.  22,  23.     The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English, 
p.  46. 

Intended  to  Settle  in  Bethlehem 

Eeturning  to  Bethlehem,  Joseph  and  Mary  seem  to  have  in- 
tended to  settle  in  it  permanently,  for  even  after  their  return 
from  Egypt  they  would  have  gone  to  it  again,  but  for  their  fear 


n        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

of  Archelaus.  St.  Matthew  speaks  of  their  living  iu  a  "  house  " 
when  the  Magi  came,  very  soon  after  the  Presentation,  but  the 
natui'al  chamber  in  the  hillside,  which  was  Mary's  first  shelter, 
would  be  as  much  a  part  of  a  house  as  any  other.  It  has  for  ages 
been  the  custom  to  speak  of  the  birthplace  of  Jesus  as  a  cave,  but 
the  word  raises  very  different  ideas  in  our  minds  from  any  that 
could  have  been  felt,  where  such  cool,  dry  recesses  are,  even  still, 
ordinary  parts  of  village  houses  of  the  humbler  kind. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  134. 

Going  Back  to  Nazareth  After  All 
Joseph,  for  a  dreamer,  was  a  practical  and  able  mau,  and  fully 
capable  of  managing  the  affairs  of  the  extraordinary  family  of 
which,  in  so  singular  a  manner,  he  found  himself  the  head  and 
protector.  The  slow-traveling  news  of  the  day  reached  the 
carpenter  in  due,  though  dilatory,  season.  Herod,  wildly  calling 
on  the  spectre  of  his  beloved  and  murdered  Mariamne,  had  gone 
to  his  miserable  tomb.  The  little  Bethlehem  babies  were  sleep- 
ing in  their  graves,  forgotten  by  all  but  their  parents.  Joseph 
brought  his  family  back  to  their  own  land,  where  the  first  infor- 
mation he  picked  up  told  him  that  the  new  monarch  was  no  im- 
provement on  the  old  one.  Therefore  he  abandoned  altogether 
the  idea  of  revisiting  Judea,  and  turned  his  face  by  way  of  the 
coast  towards  Galilee. 

Neither  he  nor  Mary  had  a  whole  heart  for  living  in  Nazareth, 
where  their  associations  were  not  entirely  pleasant ;  but  with  the 
limited  choice  which  is  left  to  the  freest  of  us  in  the  decisions  of 
life, — a  choice  which  was  nairow  enough  for  two  plain  working 
people  who  knew  little  of  the  world,  and  had  less  wherewith  to 
conquer  it,  they  struck  root  in  the  old  familiar,  self  satisfied,  and 
suspicious  village,  where  they  had  lived  and  loved  ;  where  they 
had  been  betrothed  and  wedded,  had  suffered,  and  wondered,  and 
prayed,  and  accepted  their  strange  and  sacred  lot. 

Thus  Nazareth,  an  unpopular  mountain  town,  became  the 
home  of  the  family  ;  and  the  Child— known  from  that  day  to 
this,  for  the  space  of  two  thousand  years,  by  a  Jewish  epithet  of 
contumely,  as  the  Nazarene — bears  in  history  the  great  name  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  39. 


SPUEIOUS  STOEIES  OF  HIS  BOYHOOD 

We  have  not  folloioed  cunningly  devised  fables. — 2  Peter  i.  16. 

Coarse,  Childish  Tales 

In  the  absence  of  other  accounts  of  what  the  Boy  Jesus  did,  a 
number  of  writers  in  the  early  Church  employed  their  imagiua- 
tious  iu  comjDOsing  fables  of  the  adventures  of  the  Christ  Child 
and  His  companions.  Some  of  these  legends  are  here  given  to 
show  what  poor  stuff  was  then  produced  by  ignorant  minds,  un- 
aided by  inspiration.  Their  stories  are  crude  and  foolish — all 
out  of  character  with  the  real  life  of  the  Sinless  Sou  who  was 
"  subject  unto  His  parents  "  and  who  grew  "  in  wisdom,  stature, 
and  in  favour  with  God  and  man."  Every  precaution  has  been 
taken  to  prevent  the  reader  from  mistaking  any  of  this  collection 
of  mere  legends  for  true  Gospel  stories.  Indeed,  these  strange 
fictions  should  aid  iu  appreciating  the  simj^le,  serene,  inspired 
words  of  ScriiJture. — W.  W. 

The  Christ  Child  in  the  Koran 

And  she  brought  him  [namely  the  child]  unto  her  people, 
carrying  him.  They  said,  O  Mary,  thou  hast  done  a  strange 
thing.  O  sister  of  Aaron  (he  loas  a  i^ighieous  man  ;  and  the  mean- 
ing is,  O  thou  ivho  art  like  him  in  chastity),  thy  father  was  not  a 
man  of  wickedness,  nor  was  thy  mother  a  harlot.  Then  tchence 
gottesl  thou  this  child? — and  she  made  a  sign  to  them  [pointing] 
towards  him  [namely  the  child,  as  though  she  would  saj^,]  Speak 
ye  unto  him.  They  said.  How  shall  we  speak  unto  him  who  is 
in  the  cradle,  an  infant  ?  He  [however]  said.  Verily  I  am  the 
servant  of  God  :  He  hath  given  me  the  book  of  the  Gospel,  and 
hath  appointed  me  a  prophet ;  and  commanded  me  to  observe 
prayer  and  give  alms  as  long  as  I  shall  live,  and  hath  made  me 

75 


T6        THE  STORY-IJFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

dutiful  to  my  mother,  and  hath  not  made  me  proud  [nor]  wicked. 
And  peace  from  God  [was]  on  me  on  the  day  when  I  was  born, 
and  [will  be]  on  the  day  when  I  shall  die,  and  on  the  day  when 
I  shall  be  raised  to  life. — This  [was]  Jesus  the  Son  of  Mary. 
Selections  from  the  Kur-dii,  Edward  William  Lane,  p.  153. 

How  His  Baby  Clothes  Cast  out  Devils 

But  an  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  Joseph  in  his  sleep,  and 
said,  Arise,  take  the  child  and  his  mother,  and  go  into  Egypt 
as  soon  as  the  cock  crows.  So  he  arose,  and  went.  And  as  he 
was  considering  with  himself  about  his  journey,  the  morning 
came  uj)on  him. 

In  the  length  of  the  journey  the  girths  of  the  saddle  broke. 
And  now  he  drew  near  to  a  great  city,  in  which  there  was  an 
idol,  to  which  the  other  idols  and  gods  of  Egypt  brought  their 
offerings  and  vows.  And  there  was  by  this  idol  a  priest  minister- 
ing to  it,  who,  as  often  as  Satan  spoke  out  of  that  idol,  related  the 
things  he  said  to  the  inhabitants  of  Egypt,  and  those  countries. 
This  priest  had  a  son  three  years  old,  who  was  possessed  with  a 
great  multitude  of  devils,  who  uttered  many  strange  things,  and 
when  the  devils  seized  him,  walked  about  naked  with  his  clothes 
torn,  throwing  stones  at  those  whom  he  saw. 

And  when  the  Lady  St.  Mary  had  washed  the  swaddling- 
clothes  of  the  Lord  Christ,  and  hanged  them  out  to  dry  upon  a 
post,  the  boy  possessed  with  the  devil  took  down  one  of  them, 
and  put  it  upon  his  head.  And  presently  the  devils  began  to 
come  out  of  his  mouth,  and  fly  away  in  the  shape  of  crows  and 
serpents. 

From  that  time  the  boy  was  healed  by  the  power  of  the  Lord 
Christ,  and  he  began  to  sing  praises,  and  give  thanks  to  the  Lord 
who  had  healed  him.  When  his  father  saw  him  restored  to  his 
former  state  of  health,  he  said.  My  son,  what  has  happened  to 
thee,  and  by  what  means  wert  thou  cured  ■? 

The  son  answered,  When  the  devils  seized  me,  I  went  into  the 
inn,  and  there  found  a  very  handsome  woman  with  a  boy,  whose 
swaddling-clothes  she  had  just  before  washed,  and  hanged  out 
uj)on  a  post. 

I  Infancy  (professedly  by  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  Neu 
Testament,  p.  41. 


SPURIOUS  STORIES  OF  HIS  BOYHOOD  77 

**  This  M«Ie  Was  Out  Brother  " 
The  women  came  to  the  Lady  St.  Mary,  introduced  them- 
selves to  her,  and  sitting  down  before  her,  they  wept.  And  said, 
O  our  Lady  St.  Mary,  pity  your  handmaids,  for  we  have  no  head 
of  our  family,  no  one  older  than  us  ;  no  father,  or  brother  to  go 
in  and  out  before  us.  But  this  mule,  which  you  see,  was  our 
brother,  which  some  women  by  witchcraft  have  brought  into  this 
condition  which  you  see :  we  therefore  entreat  you  to  compas- 
sionate us. 

Hereupon  St.  Mary  was  grieved  at  their  case,  and  taking  the 
Lord  Jesus,  put  him  on  the  back  of  the  mule.  And  said  to  her 
son,  O  Jesus  Christ,  restore  (or  heal)  according  to  thy  extraordi- 
nary power  this  mule,  and  grant  him  to  have  again  the  shape  of 
a  man  and  a  rational  creature,  as  he  had  formerly. 

This  was  scarce  said  by  the  Lady  St,  Mary,  but  the  mule  im- 
mediately passed  into  a  human  form,  and  became  a  young  man 
without  any  deformity.  Then  he  and  his  sisters  worshiped  the 
Lady  St.  Mary,  and  lifting  the  child  upon  their  heads,  they  kissed 
him  and  said,  "Blessed  is  thy  mother,  O  Jesus,  O  Saviour  of  the 
world  !    Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  are  so  happy  as  to  see  thee." 

I  Infancy  (professedly  by  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New 
Testament,  p,  46, 

The  Miraculous  Field  of  Grain 

Along  rough  paths,  across  stony  hills  the  fugitives  went  in  the 
darkness,  Joseph  afoot,  leading  an  ass  on  which  Mary  rode  with 
the  child  in  her  arms.  To  Joseph  and  the  Mother  it  seemed  as 
If  they  could  hear  hoof  beats  behind  them,  and  the  clash  of 
swords  against  armor  as  soldiers  galloped  in  pursuit.  In  the 
darkness  back  of  them  lay  the  weary  and  dangerous  road  into 
Egypt,  away  from  Herod's  power.  Fearfully  they  hurried  on. 
And  the  Babe  whose  coming  had  been  heralded  by  stars  and  by 
angels,  whose  advent  was  welcomed  by  the  great  of  the  earth — a 
fugitive  now  in  the  solitudes  of  the  bare  hills,  unmindful  both  of 
glory"aud  of  danger — slept  beneath  His  mother's  mantle  as  they 
pushed  on  through  the  night. 

When  the  dawn  came,  the  weary  Joseph  was  leading  his 
family  across  a  fertile  plain.  In  the  daylight  they  had  even  less 
hope  of  escape  than  in  the  darkness,  for  they  would  be  seen  by 


T8        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

men  working  in  the  fields  whom  the  soldiers,  as  they  passed, 
would  not  fail  to  question.  To  one  of  these  husbandmen,  who 
was  sowing  seed,  the  Virgin  Mother  appealed. 

"  If  a  soldier  question  thee,"  she  said,  "  about  those  who  have 
gone  this  way,  say  that  thou  didst  see  us  pass  thy  fields  when 
thou  wast  sowing  thy  seed." 

"  Yea,"  he  answered  bluutly,  "  I  see  thee  and  thy  husband  and 
thy  child  on  the  road,  and  I  sow  my  seed." 

The  little  fiimily  hurried  on. 

The  husbandman  went  to  his  house  for  food  and  returning 
again  to  his  work  saw  that  the  seed,  planted  but  a  few  minutes 
before,  had  sprouted,  matured,  turued  golden  for  the  harvesting. 
As  he  felt  the  heavy  ears  of  grain,  amazed  at  the  quick  and 
abundant  yield,  two  soldiers  rode  up,  drew  rein,  and  called  to 
him  from  the  highway. 

"  Hast  thou  seen  fugitives  pass  this  way,  an  old  man,  a  young 
woman,  and  a  child  !  " 

"Yea,"  answered  the  husbandman,  standing  waist  deej)  in 
waving  golden  grain  ;  "I  saw  such  pass  as  I  was  sowing  the  seed 
in  this  field." 

"Then  thou  didst  see  them  many  suns  ago,"  cried  the  soldier 
impatiently.     "Thou  hast  not  seen  those  whom  we  require,  thou 
dullard.     They  fled  from  Bethlehem  but  yesternight." 
A  Book  of  the  Christ  Child,  Eleanor  Hammond  Broadus,  p.  35, 

Why  the  Aspen  Leaves  Qui  vet* 

The  soldiers  turned  back,  leaving  the  man  still  gaziug  over  his 
field  of  ripe  grain,  while  beyond  the  plain,  among  the  woodlands, 
the  fugitives  again  sought  safety  from  others  of  Herod's  soldiers. 

In  the  woodland  path,  hearing  the  sound  of  pursuing  horses, 
Joseph  led  his  charges  aside  beneath  a  juniper  tree.  As  they 
came  within  its  shade  the  branches  bent  low  about  them,  the 
small  twigs  twined  together  in  a  close  network,  and  the  needles 
filled  in  the  spaces  so  closely  that  the  three  were  in  a  twilight 
gloom.  Herod's  guard  dashed  past,  looking  to  right  and  left ; 
but  they  saw  only  pine  and  juniper  trees.  The  rapid  beat  of  the 
horses'  hoofs  died  away  in  the  distance,  and  again  the  Divine 
Child  was  borne  on  in  safety. 

But  had  the  soldiers  been  followiug  as  the  fugitives  passed  out 


SPURIOUS  STORIES  OF  HIS  BOYHOOD  T9 

from  the  woodland  beyoud  the  borders  of  Herod's  province,  they 
had  not  failed  to  find  them.  The  sandy  wastes  which  now  the 
Mother  and  Child  were  traversing  burst  into  bloom  behind  them, 
and  their  path  was  marked  with  bright  flowers.  Winding  across 
the  hot  sands  from  one  oasis  to  another,  the  flower -bordered  path 
seemed  to  pass  through  the  green  islands  of  palm  trees  and  link 
them  together  as  slender  threads  of  gold  pass  through  gleaming 
jewels  and  hold  them  in  a  fair  chain. 

And  as  the  desert  had  been  conscious  of  the  presence  of  its 
Creator,  and  had  sent  forth  blossoms  to  greet  Him,  even  though 
He  lay  a  little  Child  in  His  mother's  arms,  so,  too,  the  trees  ac- 
knowledged Him,  bowing  before  the  God  Child  as  He  was  carried 
among  them.  All  the  trees  in  the  scattered  valleys  did  obeisance 
to  Him  except  the  aspen.  Haughtily  erect,  it  would  not  bow 
before  the  little  Child  traveling  humbly  past  it;  but  the  Child 
looked  upon  the  proud  tree,  and  the  aspen  began  to  tremble,  and 
in  its  guilt  it  trembles  still.  For  though  all  other  trees  of  the 
forest  may  stand  motionless  when  the  winds  are  silent,  the  aspen 
leaves  quiver  and  the  tree  bows  its  head,  remembering  that  God 
is  ever  present. 

A  Book  of  the  Christ  Child,  Eleanor  Haniiuoud  Broadus,  p.  37. 

Prophecy  Concerning  the  Two  Thieves 
In  their  journey  from  hence  they  came  into  a  desert  country, 
and  were  told  it  was  infested  with  robbers;  so  Joseph  and 
St.  Mary  j)repared  to  pass  through  it  in  the  night.  And  as  they 
were  going  along,  behold  they  saw  two  robbers  asleep  in  the  road, 
and  with  them  a  great  number  of  robbers,  who  were  their  con- 
federates, also  asleep.  The  names  of  these  two  were  Titus  and 
Dumachus  ;  and  Titus  said  to  Dumachus,  I  beseech  thee  let  those 
persons  go  along  quietly,  that  our  company  may  not  perceive 
anything  of  them. 

But  Dumachus  refusing,  Titus  again  said,  I  will  give  thee  forty 
groats,  and  as  a  pledge  take  my  girdle,  which  he  gave  him  before 
he  had  done  speaking,  that  he  might  not  open  his  mouth,  or  make 
a  noise. 

When  the  Lady  St.  Mary  saw  the  kindness  which  this  robber 
did  show  them,  she  said  to  him,  The  Lord  God  will  receive  thee 
to  His  right  hand,  and  grant  thee  pardon  of  thy  sins. 


80        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Then  the  Lord  Jesus  answered,  and  said  to  his  mother,  When 

thirty  years  are  expired,  O  mother,  the  Jews  will  crucify  me  at 

Jerusalem  ;  aud  these  two  thieves  shall  be  with  me  at  the  same 

time  upon   the  cross,  Titus  on  my  right  haud  aud  Dumachus 

ou  my  left,  aud  from  that  time  Titus  shall  go  before  me  into 

Paradise. 

/  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New 
Testamenty  p.  46. 

How  the  Tall  Palm  Bowed  down  to  the  Child 

The  palm  trees  especially  befriended  the  travelers  as  they  di- 
rected their  way  .  .  .  across  the  desert.  In  the  cool  shade 
the  Holy  Family  would  rest ;  aud  ouce,  as  they  waited  until  the 
fierce  sun  should  sink  toward  its  setting,  the  palm  tree  under 
which  they  sat  moved  its  leafy  crown  with  the  sun  and  huug  its 
great  leaves  as  a  curtain  between  the  weary  three  and  the  blazing- 
sky.  Auother  time  as  they  sat  beneath  a  palm,  Mary  wished  for 
some  of  the  fruit  which  grew  at  the  top.  But  the  stem  of  the 
tree  was  tall  and  smooth,  aud  Joseph  said  regretfully  :  "I  cannot 
climb.  My  age  and  weariness  prevent  me.  Would  that  instead 
of  the  high-hanging  fruit  we  might  find  a  spriug  of  cold  water  near 
at  hand." 

Then  the  Child  Jesus,  running  from  His  mother  toward  the 
tree,  raised  His  arms  aud  cried,  "  Bend  thy  lofty  crown,  O  palm 
tree,  that  My  mother's  lougiug  may  be  satisfied." 

At  His  words  the  tree  bent  its  tall,  slender  stem  until  the 
leaves  swept  the  saud,  aud  Mary  plucked  the  fruit  and  the  weary 
travelers  ate.  When  they  had  finished,  Jesus  spoke  again  to 
the  tree,  "Raise  thyself,  O  palm  tree,  and  bring  forth  fruit  again 
that  others  passiug  here  may  eat  and  be  refreshed." 

The  tree  straightened  itself  and  again  its  long  leaves  swayed 
above  them  ;  and  Jesus,  stooping  at  the  foot  of  the  palm,  scooped 
a  little  hollow  with  His  hand.  From  the  hollow  a  spring  gushed 
forth,  aud  they  drank  of  the  cold  water  ;  and  beiug  refreshed  they 
weut  once  more  upon  their  way. 

A  Book  of  the  Christ  Child,  Eleanor  Hammoud  Broadus,  p.  39. 

The  Broken  Pitcher 
On  a  certain  time  the  Lady  St.  Mary  had  commanded  the  Lord 
Jesus  to  fetch  her  some  water  out  of  the  well ;  and  when  he  had 


SPURIOUS  STORIES  OF  HIS  BOYHOOD  81 

goue  to  feteli  the  water,  the  pitcher,  when  it  was  brought  up  full, 
brake. 

But  Jesus,  spreading  his  mantle,  gathered  up  the  water  again, 
and  brought  it  in  to  his  mother.  Who  being  astonished  at  this 
wonderful  thing,  laid  up  this,  and  all  the  other  things  she  had 
seen,  in  her  memory. 

1  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New 
Testament,  p.  46. 

Legend  of  Jesos  and  Jodas  as  Boys  Together 

Another  woman  likewise  lived  there,  whose  son  was  possessed 
by  Satan.  This  boy,  named  Judas,  as  often  as  Satan  seized  him, 
was  inclined  to  bite  all  that  were  present ;  and  if  he  found  no  one 
else  near  him,  he  would  bite  his  own  hands  and  other  parts.  But 
the  mother  of  this  miserable  boy,  hearing  of  St.  Mary  and  her 
son  Jesus,  arose  presently,  and  taking  her  son  in  her  arms, 
brought  him  to  the  Lady  Mary. 

In  the  meantime,  James  and  Joses  had  taken  away  the  infant, 
the  Lord  Jesus,  to  play  at  a  proper  season  with  other  children  ; 
and  when  they  went  forth,  they  sat  down  and  the  Lord  Jesus  with 
them. 

Then  Judas,  who  was  possessed,  came  and  sat  down  at  the  right 
hand  of  Jesus.  When  Satan  was  acting  upon  him  as  usual,  he 
went  about  to  bite  the  Lord  Jesus.  And  because  he  could  not  do 
it,  he  struck  Jesus  on  the  right  side,  so  that  he  cried  out.  And 
in  the  same  moment  Satan  went  out  of  the  boy,  and  ran  away  like 
a  mad  dog. 

This  same  boy  who  struck  Jesus,  and  out  of  whom  Satan  went 
in  the  form  of  a  dog,  was  Judas  Iscariot,  who  betrayed  him  to 
the  Jews.  And  that  same  side,  on  which  Judas  struck  him,  the 
Jews  pierced  with  a  spear. 

1  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New 
Testament,  p.  52. 

The  Dyer's  Distress 

On  a  certain  day  also,  when  Jesus  was  playing  with  the  boys, 
and  running  about,  he  passed  by  a  dyer's  shop,  whose  name  was 
Salem.  And  there  were  in  his  shop  many  pieces  of  cloth  belong- 
ing to  the  people  of  that  city,  which  they  designed  to  dye  of 


82        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

several  colours.     Then  the  Lord  Jesus,  goiug  into  the  dyer's  shop, 
took  all  the  cloths,  aud  threw  them  iuto  the  furuace. 

Wheu  Salem  came  home,  aud  saw  the  cloths  spoiled,  he  begau 
to  make  a  great  uoise,  aud  to  chide  the  Lord  Jesus,  sayiug.  What 
hast  thou  done  to  me,  O  thou  sou  of  Mary  1  Thou  hast  iujured 
both  me  aud  my  neighbours ;  they  all  desire  their  cloths  of  a 
proper  colour ;  but  thou  hast  come,  aud  spoiled  them  all. 

The  Lord  Jesus  replied,  I  will  chauge  the  colour  of  every  cloth 
to  what  colour  thou  desirest ;  aud  then  he  presently  began  to  take 
the  cloths  out  of  the  furuace,  aud  they  were  all  dyed  of  those 
same  colours  which  the  dyer  desired.  Aud  wheu  the  Jews  saw 
this  surprising  miracle,  thej^  praised  God. 

/  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New 
2'estament,  p.  53. 

The  Misfit  Throne 

On  a  certain  time  the  king  of  Jerusalem  sent  for  him  [Joseph], 
and  said,  I  would  have  thee  make  me  a  throne  of  the  same 
dimensions  with  that  place  iu  which  I  commonly  sit. 

Joseph  obeyed,  aud  forthwith  begau  the  work,  aud  continued 
two  years  iu  the  king's  palace  before  he  finished  it.  And  wheu 
he  came  to  fix  it  iu  its  place,  he  found  it  wanted  two  spans  on 
each  side  of  the  appointed  measure.  Which  wheu  the  king  saw, 
he  was  very  angry  with  Joseph  ;  and  Joseph,  afraid  of  the  king's 
auger,  went  to  bed  without  his  supper,  taking  not  anything  to 
eat. 

Then  the  Lord  Jesus  asked  him.  What  was  he  afraid  of? 

Joseph  replied.  Because  I  have  lost  mj'^  labour  iu  the  work 
which  I  have  been  about  these  two  years. 

Jesus  said  to  him.  Fear  not,  neither  be  cast  down  ;  do  thou  lay 
hold  on  one  side  of  the  throne,  and  I  will  the  other,  aud  we  will 
bring  it  to  its  just  dimensions. 

And  wheu  Joseph  had  done  as  the  Lord  Jesus  said,  aud  each 
of  them  had  with  strength  drawn  his  side,  the  throne  obeyed, 
and  was  brought  to  the  proper  dimensions  of  the  place :  which 
miracle  when  they  who  stood  by  saw,  they  were,  astonished  aud 
praised  God. 

1  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  2Vie  ^^JOc/'j^pAa?  [Spurious]  Neu 
Testament^  p.  53. 


SPURIOUS  STORIES  OF  HIS  BOYHOOD  S3 

Healing  a  Boy  Bitten  by  a  Serpent 

[While  the  boys  were  xjlaying  that  Jesus  was  their  kiug]  there 
passed  a  mau  aud  a  womau  who  were  weeping,  and  they  carried 
on  a  rude  litter  a  boy  who  was  ill  aud  dyiug  ;  but,  unmindful  of 
their  grief,  the  boys  stopi)ed  the  two,  aud  forced  them  to  set  down 
their  burden  and  come  before  the  king. 

Jesus  quickly  laid  down  His  sceptre  as  He  saw  them,  aud  asked, 
"Why  weep  yef" 

"Our  son  has  been  bitten  by  a  serpent  yonder  among  the 
rocks.  He  dies  aud  we  carry  him  home.  Thou  and  Thy  com- 
panions do  uot  well  to  hinder  us." 

"We  will  help,  not  hinder,"  answered  the  Christ  Child  going 
to  the  litter. 

He  uncovered  the  boy  aud  saw  the  injured  hand  and  arm 
swollen  from  the  serpent's  poison.  The  youth's  face  was  ashen. 
Gently  the  young  Christ  touched  him  and  spoke  to  him,  aud 
straightway  the  boy  was  healed. 

"Who  is  your  king?"  asked  the  father  and  mother,  turning 
to  the  boys  and  watching  Jesus  as  He  stood  apart  with  their  sou. 

"He  is  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  a  carpenter  in  Na»areth," 
they  answered.  Then,  turning  toward  Him,  half  playfully,  half 
seriously,  they  led  Jesus,  the  sou  of  Joseph,  to  His  throne  aud 
crowned  Him  again  with  the  lily  crown  aud  placed  the  palm- 
brauch  sceptre  in  His  hand. 

A  Book  of  the  Christ  Child,  Eleanor  Hammond  Broadus,  p.  53. 

The  Boys  Turned  to  Kids 

On  another  day  the  Lord  Jesus  going  out  into  the  street,  and 
seeing  some  boys  who  were  met  to  play,  joined  himself  to  their 
company  :  but  when  they  saw  him,  they  hid  themselves,  and  left 
him  to  seek  for  them. 

The  Lord  Jesus  came  to  the  gate  of  a  certain  house,  and  asked 
some  women,  who  were  standing  there,  where  the  boys  were  gone  ? 
And  when  they  answered  that  there  was  no  one  there,  the  Lord 
Jesus  said,  Who  are  those  whom  ye  see  in  the  furnace  ?  They 
answered.  They  were  kids  of  three  years  old. 

Then  Jesus  cried  out  aloud,  and  said,  Come  out  hither,  O  ye 
kids,  to  your  shepherd  ;  aud  presently  the  boys  came  forth  like 


84        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

kids,  aud  leaped  about  him  ;  whicli  when  the  women  saw,  they 
were  exceediugly  amazed  aud  trembled.  Theu  they  immediately 
worshiped  the  Lord  Jesus,  aud  beseeched  him,  sayiug,  O  our 
Loi-d  Jesus,  sou  of  Mary,  thou  art  truly  that  good  shepherd  of 
Israel  !  Have  mercy  on  thy  handmaids,  who  staud  before  thee, 
who  do  uot  doubt  but  that  thou,  O  Lord,  art  come  to  save,  aud 
not  to  destroy. 

After  that,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  said.  The  children  of  Israel 
are  like  the  Ethiopiaus  amoug  the  people  ;  the  women  said. 
Thou,  Lord,  kuowest  all  things,  nor  is  anything  concealed  from 
thee  ;  but  now  we  entreat  thee,  and  beseech  of  thy  mercy  that 
thou  wouldst  restore  those  boys  to  their  former  state. 

Then  Jesus  said.  Come  hither,  O  boys,  that  we  may  go  and 
play  ;  aud  immediately,  iu  the  preseuce  of  the  women,  the  kids 
were  changed  and  returned  into  the  shape  of  boys. 

1  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New 
Testament,  p.  54. 

The  Dead  Lad's  Testimony 

On  a  certain  day  the  Lord  Jesus  was  with  some  boys,  who  were 
playing  on  the  housetop,  and  one  of  the  boys  fell  down,  and  pres- 
eutly  died.  Upon  which  the  other  boys  all  running  away,  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  left  alone  on  the  housetop.  Aud  the  boy's  rela- 
tions came  to  him  and  said  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  Thou  didst  throw 
our  sou  down  from  the  housetop. 

But  he  denying  it,  they  cried  out.  Our  son  is  dead,  and  this  is 
he  who  killed  him  ! 

The  Lord  Jesus  replied  to  them,  Do  not  charge  me  with  a 
crime,  of  which  you  are  not  able  to  convict  me,  but  let  us  go  ask 
the  boy  himself,  who  will  bring  the  truth  to  light. 

Then  the  Lord  Jesus,  going  down,  stood  over  the  head  of  the 
dead  boy,  and  said  with  a  loud  voice,  Zeinunus,  Zeinunus,  who 
threw  thee  down  from  the  housetop "? 

Then  the  dead  boy  answered.  Thou  didst  not  throw  me  down, 
but  such  a  one  did. 

And  when  the  Lord  Jesus  bade  those  who  stood  by  to  take 

notice  of  his  words,  all  who  were  present  praised  God  on  account 

of  that  miracle. 

J  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  Neiv 
Testament,  p.  56. 


SPURIOUS  STORIES  OF  HIS  BOYHOOD  85 

The  Clay  Sparirows 

When  the  child  Jesus  was  five  years  of  age  aud  there  had  been 
a  shower  of  rain,  which  was  now  over,  Jesus  was  playing  with 
other  Hebrew  boys  by  a  running  stream  ;  aud  the  water,  running 
over  the  banks,  stood  iu  little  lakes  ;  but  the  waters  instantly  be- 
came clear  and  useful  again,  and  he  having  smote  them  only  by 
his  word,  they  readily  obeyed  him. 

Then  he  took  from  the  bank  of  the  stream  some  soft  clay,  and 
formed  out  of  it  twelve  sparrows  ;  and  there  were  other  boys 
playiug  with  him.  But  a  certain  Jew  seeing  the  things  which 
he  was  doing,  namely,  his  forming  clay  into  the  figures  of  spar- 
rows on  the  Sabbath  day,  went  presently  away,  and  told  his 
father  Joseph,  and  said  :  Behold,  thy  boy  is  playing  by  the  river- 
side, and  has  taken  clay,  and  formed  it  into  twelve  sparrows, 
and  profaneth  the  Sabbath. 

Then  Joseph  came  to  the  place  where  he  was,  and  when  he 
saw  him,  called  to  him,  and  said,  Why  doest  thou  that  which 
is  not  lawful  to  do  on  the  Sabbath  day? 

Then  Jesus  clapping  together  the  palms  of  his  hands,  called  to 
the  sparrows,  and  said  to  them  :  Go,  fly  away  ;  aud  while  ye  live 
remember  me.     So  the  sparrows  flew  away,  making  a  noise. 

The  Jews  seeing  this,  were  astonished,  and  went  away,  and 

told  their  chief  persons  what  a  strange  miracle  they  had  seen 

wrought  by  Jesus. 

II  Infancy  (attributed  to  Thomas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New  Testa- 
ment, p.  60. 

The  Withered  Boy 

Besides  this,  the  son  of  Anna  the  scribe  was  standing  there 
with  Joseph,  and  took  a  bough  of  a  willow  tree,  and  scattered 
the  waters  which  Jesus  had  gathered  into  lakes.  But  the  boy 
Jesus  seeing  what  he  had  done,  became  angry,  and  said  to  him, 
"Thou  fool,  what  harm  did  the  lakes  do  thee,  that  thou  shouldest 
scatter  the  water  ?  Behold,  now  thou  shalt  wither  as  a  tree,  aud 
shalt  not  bring  forth  either  leaves,  or  branches,  or  fruit." 

And  immediately  he  became  withered  all  over. 

Then  Jesus  went  away  home.  But  the  parents  of  the  boy  who 
was  withered,  lamenting  the  misfortune  of  his  youth,  took  and 
carried  him  to  Joseph,  accusing  him,  and  said.  Why  dost  thou 
keep  a  son  who  is  guilty  of  such  actions  ? 


86        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Then  Jesus  at  the  request  of  all  who  were  present  did  heal  him, 
leaving  only  some  small  member  to  coutiuue  withered,  that  they 
might  take  warning, 

II Infancy  (attributeti  to  Thomas),  3%e  Aiiociyphnl  [Spurious]  Nero  Testa- 
ment, p.  61. 

Striking  a  Boy  Dead 
Another  time  Jesus  weut  forth  into  the  street,  and  a  boy  run- 
niug  by,  rushed  upon  his  shoulder  ;  at  which  Jesus,  being  augry, 
said  to  him.  Thou  shalt  go  no  farther.  And  he  instantly  fell 
down  dead :  which  when  some  persons  saw,  they  said.  Where 
was  this  boy  born,  that  everything  which  he  says  presently 
Cometh  to  pass  % 

Then  the  parents  of  the  dead  boy  going  to  Joseph  complained, 
saying,  "  You  are  not  fit  to  live  with  us,  in  our  cMy,  having  such 
a  boy  as  that :  either  teach  him  that  he  bless  and  not  curse,  or 
else  depart  hence  with  him,  for  he  kills  our  children." 

II  Infancy  (attributed  to  Thomas),   The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New  Testa- 
ment, p.  61. 

The  Neighbours  Indignant 

Then  Joseph,  calling  the  boy  Jesus  by  himself,  instructed  him 
saying.  Why  doest  thou  such  things  to  injure  the  people  so  that 
they  hate  us  and  persecute  us  ? 

But  Jesus  replied,  I  know  that  what  thou  sayest  is  not  of  thy- 
self, but  for  thy  sake  I  will  say  nothing ;  but  they  who  have  said 
these  things  to  thee  shall  suffer  eveilasting  punishment. 

And  immediately  they  who  had  accused  him  became  blind. 
And  all  they  who  saw  it  were  exceedingly  afraid  and  confounded, 
and  said  concerning  him,  Whatsoever  he  saith,  whether  good  or 
bad,  immediately  cometh  to  pass  ;  and  they  were  amazed. 

But  when  they  saw  this  action  of  Christ,  Joseph  arose,  and 

plucked  him  by  the  ear,  at  which  the  boy  was  angry,  and  said 

to  him.  Be  easy  ;  for  if  they  seek  for  us,  they  shall  not  find  us  : 

thou  hast  done  very  imprudently.     Dost  thou  not  know  that  I 

am  not  thine  ?    Trouble  me  no  more. 

II  Infancy  (attributed  to  Thomas),  Tlie  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New  Testa- 
ment, p.  61. 

Theory  That  He  Visited  India 
The  parents  of  the  infant  were  poor  people,  who  belonged  to  a 
family  noted  for  great  piety  ;  who  forgot  the  greatness  of  their 


SPURIOUS  STORIES  OP^  HIS  BOYHOOD  87 

aucestors  iu  celebrating  the  name  of  the  Creator  aud  giving 
thauks  to  Him  for  the  trials  which  He  had  sent  upou  them. 

To  reward  them  for  adhering  to  the  path  of  truth,  God  blessed 
the  first-born  of  this  family ;  chose  him  for  His  elect,  aud  sent 
him  to  sustain  the  fallen  and  comfort  the  afflicted. 

The  divine  child,  to  whom  the  name  Issa  [Jesus]  was  given, 
commenced  in  his  tender  years  to  talk  of  the  only  and  indivisible 
God,  exhorting  the  strayed  souls  to  repent  and  jDurify  themselves 
from  the  sins  of  which  they  had  become  guilty. 

People  came  from  all  parts  to  hear  him,  and  marveled  at  the 
discourses  which  came  from  his  infantile  mouth  ;  and  all  Israel 
agreed  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Eternal  dwelt  in  this  child. 

When  Issa  was  thirteen  years  old,  the  age  at  which  an  Israelite 
is  expected  to  marry,  the  modest  house  of  his  industrious  parents 
became  a  meeting-place  of  the  rich  and  illustrious,  who  were 
anxious  to  have  as  a  son-in-law  the  young  Issa  who  was  already 
celebrated  for  the  edifying  discourses  he  made  in  the  name  of 
the  All-Powerful. 

Then  Issa  secretly  absented  himself  from  his  father's  house  ; 
left  Jerusalem,  and,  in  a  train  of  merchants,  journeyed  toward 
the  Sindh,  with  the  object  of  perfecting  himself  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Word  of  God  and  the  study  of  the  laws  of  the  great 
Buddhas. 

The   Unknown  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  from  Buddhistic  Records,  Nicolas  Noto- 
vitch,  Translated  by  J.  H.  Couuelly  and  L.  Landsberg,  p.  164. 

The  Concealed  Miracles 
Kow  from  this  time  Jesus  began  to  conceal  his  miracles  and 
secret  works,  aud  he  gave  himself  to  the  study  of  the  law,  till 
he  arrived  to  the  end  of  his  thirtieth  year.     .     .     . 

This  is  he  whom  we  worship  with  all  reverence,  because  he 
gave  us  our  life  aud  being,  and  brought  us  from  our  mother's 
womb  ;  who,  for  our  sakes,  took  a  human  body,  and  hath  re- 
deemed us,  so  that  he  might  so  embrace  us  with  everlasting 
mercy,  and  shew  his  free,  large  bountiful  grace  and  goodness 
to  us. 

/  Infancy  (attributed  to  Joseph  Caiaphas),  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  Nev) 
Testament,  p.  59. 


VI 

THE  BOY  OF  NAZAEETH 

The  sinless  years 
That  breathed  beneath  the  Syrian  blue. 

— Tennyson. 

In  G)nti:ast  to  the  Blasphemous  Absurdities  of  the 
Apocryphal  Gospels 

Of  the  many  years  spent  in  Nazareth,  during  which  Jesus 
passed  from  infancy  to  childhood,  from  childhood  to  youth,  and 
from  youth  to  manhood,  the  Evangelic  narrative  has  left  us  but 
the  briefest  notice.  Of  His  childhood  :  that  "  He  grew  and  waxed 
strong  in  spirit,  filled  with  wisdom,  and  the  grace  of  God  was 
upon  Him  :"  of  His  youth,  besides  the  account  of  His  questioning 
the  rabbis  in  the  Temple,  the  year  before  He  attained  Jewish 
majority — that  "  He  was  subject  to  His  parents,"  and  that  "He 
increased  in  wisdom  and  in  stature,  and  in  favour  with  God  and 
man." 

Considering  what  loving  care  watched  over  Jewish  child-life, 
tenderly  marking  by  not  fewer  than  eight  designations  the  various 
stages  of  its  development,  and  the  deep  interest  naturally  attach- 
ing to  the  early  life  of  the  Messiah,  that  silence,  in  contrast  to  the 
almost  blasphemous  absurdities  of  the  Apocryphal  Gospels, 
teaches  us  once  more,  and  most  impressively,  that  the  Gospels 
furnish  a  history  of  the  Saviour,  not  a  biography  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  fhe  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  221. 

Not  under  Excessive  Jewish  Influence 
If  it  was  desirable  to  bring  up  the  child  Jesus  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  Temple  influence,  in  Palestine  and  yet  not  under  excess- 
ive Jewish  influence,  no  place  could  have  been  chosen  better 
than  Nazareth.  It  was  a  small  village,  obscure,  and  remote  from 
Jerusalem.     Its  very  name  had  never  occurred  in  the  Old  Testa- 


Heinrich  Hofmann 
THE    BOY    OF    NAZARETH   AT    TWELVE    YEARS 

Engraved  from  the  Painting  of  "Jesus  and  the  Doctors  " 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  89 

ment  records.  And  though,  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  Galilee 
was  made  the  seat  of  Jewish  schools  of  religion,  ...  at  our 
Lord's  birth,  and  during  his  whole  life,  this  region  of  Palestine 
was  but  little  affected  by  Jerusalem. 

The  population  was  a  mixed  one,  made  up  of  many  different 
nationalities.  A  debased  remnant  of  the  ten  tribes,  after  their 
captivity,  had  wandered  back,  with  Jewish  blood  and  heathen 
manners.  The  Eoman  armies  and  Koman  rulers  had  brought 
into  the  province  a  great  many  foreigners.  A  large  Gentile 
population  had  divided  with  native  Jews  the  towns  and  villages. 
Greeks  swarmed  in  the  larger  commercial  towns. 

Galilee  was,  far  more  than  Judea,  cosmopolitan.  Commerce 
and  manufactures  had  thriven  by  the  side  of  agriculture.  Jo- 
sephus  says  that  Galilee  had  more  than  two  hundred  cities  and 
villages,  the  smallest  of  which  contained  not  less  than  fifteen  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  This  seems  an  extravagant  statement,  but  it 
will  serve  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  great  populousness  of  the 
province  in  which  the  youth  of  Jesus  was  spent  and  in  which 
also  his  public  life  was  chiefly  passed.  The  influences  which  had 
changed  the  people  had  provincialized  their  language.  A  Gali- 
lean was  known  by  his  speech,  which  seems  to  have  been  regarded 
as  unrefined  and  vulgar. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  58. 

The  Feasts  of  a  Year 

There  could  not  be  a  national  historj^,  nor  even  romance,  to 
compare  with  that  by  which  a  Jewish  mother  might  hold  her 
child  entranced.  And  it  was  his  own  history — that  of  his  tribe, 
clan,  perhaps  family  ;  of  the  past,  indeed,  but  yet  of  the  present, 
and  still  more  of  the  glorious  future.  Long  before  he  could  go 
to  school,  or  even  synagogue,  the  private  and  united  prayers  and 
the  domestic  rites,  whether  of  the  weekly  Sabbath  or  of  festive 
seasons,  would  indelibly  impress  themselves  upon  his  mind. 

In  midwinter  there  was  the  festive  illumination  in  each  home. 
In  most  houses,  the  first  night  only  one  candle  was  lit,  the  next 
two,  and  so  on  to  the  eighth  day  ;  and  the  child  would  learn  that 
this  was  symbolic,  and  the  commemoration  of  the  Dedication  of 
the  Temple^  its  purgation,  and  the  restoration  of  its  services  by 
the  lion-hearted  Judas  the  Maccabee. 


90        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Next  came,  in  earliest  spriug,  the  meiry  time  of  Furim,  the 
Feast  of  Esther  aud  of  Israel's  deliverauce  through  her,  with  its 
good  cheer  and  boisterous  enjoyments. 

Although  the  Passover  might  call  the  rest  of  the  family  to 
Jerusalem,  the  rigid  exclusion  of  all  leaven  during  the  whole 
week  could  not  pass  without  its  impressions. 

Then,  after  the  Feast  of  Weeks,  came  bright  summer.  But  its 
golden  harvest  and  its  rich  fruits  would  remind  of  the  early 
dedication  of  the  first  and  best  to  the  Lord,  aud  of  those  solemn 
processions  in  which  it  was  carried  up  to  Jerusalem. 

As  autumn  seared  the  leaves,  the  Feast  of  the  New  Year  spoke 
of  the  casting  up  of  man's  accounts  in  the  great  Book  of  Judg- 
ment, and  the  fixing  of  destiny  for  good  or  for  evil.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  Fast  of  the  Day  of  Atonement,  with  its  tremendous 
solemnities,  the  memory  of  which  could  never  fade  from  the  mind 
or  imagination ;  and,  last  of  all,  in  the  week  of  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles,  there  were  the  strange  leafy  booths  in  which  they 
lived  and  joyed,  keeping  their  harvest-thanksgiving,  aud  pray- 
ing and  longing  for  the  better  harvest  of  a  renewed  world. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jcsm  the  3l£ssiah,  Alfred  Edersbeim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  228. 

His  Doing  Nothing  Wonderful  Was  a  Kind  of  Wonder 
It  was  during  these  years  that  His  life  is  for  us  the  main  ex- 
ample of  how  we  ought  to  live.  ^'Take  notice  here,"  says  the 
saintly  Bonaventura,  "that  His  doing  nothing  wonderful  was  in 
itself  a  kind  of  wonder.  For  His  whole  life  is  a  mystery  ;  and 
as  there  was  power  in  His  actions,  so  was  there  power  in  His 
siience,  in  His  inactivity,  and  in  His  retirement.  This  sovereign 
Master,  who  was  to  teach  all  virtues,  and  to  point  out  the  way  of 
life,  began  from  His  j^outh  up,  by  sanctifying  in  His  own  person 
the  practice  of  the  virtuous  life  He  came  to  teach,  but  in  a  won- 
drous, unfathomable,  and,  till  then,  unheard-of  manner." 

His  mere  presence  in  that  home  of  His  childhood  must  have 
made  it  a  happy  one.  The  hour  of  strife,  the  hour  of  the  sword, 
the  hour  when  many  in  Israel  should  rise  or  fall  because  of  Him, 
the  hour  when  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts  should  be  revealed, 
the  hour  when  the  kingdom  of  heaven  should  suffer  violence,  and 
the  violent  take  it  by  force,  was  not  yet  come.     In  any  family 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  91 

circle  the  gentle  iuflueuce  of  oue  loviug  soul  is  sufficient  to  breathe 
around  it  an  unspeakable  calm  ;  it  has  a  soothing  power  like  the 
shining  of  the  sunlight,  or  the  voice  of  doves  heard  at  evening  : — 

"  It  droppeth,  like  the  geotle  dew  from  heaven 
Upon  the  place  beneath." 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W,  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F,  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  94. 

Like  His  Brethren  in  All  Things 

Wherefore  it  behooved  him  in  all  things  to  be  made  like  unto  his 
brethren,  that  he  might  become  a  merciful  and  faithful  high  jyriest  in 
things  pertaining  to  God,  to  make  proxntiation  for  the  sins  of  the  peo- 
ple. For  in  that  he  himself  hath  suffered  being  tempted,  he  is  able 
to  succor  them  that  are  tempted. — Hebeews  ii.  17,  18.  American 
Revision. 

Sacred  history  makes  everything  of  Mary,  and  nothing  of 
Joseph.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  it  was  with  his  mother  that 
Jesus  held  most  intimate  communion.  The  adoration  of  the 
Virgin  by  the  [Roman  Catholic]  Church  has  doubtless  contributed 
largely  to  this  belief.  There  is  nothing  improbable  in  it.  But  it  is 
pure  supposition.     There  is  not  a  trace  of  any  facts  to  supjjort  it. 

Though  an  ordinary  child  to  others,  that  Jesus  was  to  his 
parents  a  child  of  wonder  can  scarcely  be  doubted.  Such  mani- 
festations of  his  nature,  as  broke  forth  at  twelve  years  of  age  in 
the  Temple  scene,  must  have  shown  themselves  at  other  times  in 
various  ways  at  home.  Yet  so  entirely  are  our  minds  absorbed 
in  his  later  teachings,  and  so  wholly  is  his  life  summed  up  to  us 
in  the  three  years  of  his  ministry,  that  we  are  not  accustomed  to 
recall  and  fill  out  his  youth  as  we  do  his  riper  years. 

Who  imagines  the  boy  Jesus  going  or  coming  at  command, — 
leaving  home,  with  his  tools,  for  his  daily  work, — lifting  timber, 
laying  the  line,  scribing  the  pattern,  fitting  and  finishing  the  job, 
— bargaining  for  work,  demanding  and  receiving  his  wages, — 
conversing  with  fellow  workmen,  and  mingling  in  their  innocent 
amusements  %  Yet  must  not  all  these  things  have  been  ?  "We 
must  carry  along  with  us  that  interpreting  sentence,  which  like  a 
refrain  should  come  in  with  every  strain  : 

'"In  all  things  it  behooved  him  to  be  made  like  unto  his 
brethren." 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Heury  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p,  68. 


92        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Unlawful  to  Live  in  a  Place  Where  There  Was  No  School 

The  regular  iustruction  commenced  with  the  fifth  or  sixth  year 
(according  to  strength),  when  every  child  was  sent  to  school. 
There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  at  that  time  such  schools 
existed  throughout  the  laud.  We  find  references  to  them  at  al- 
most every  period ;  indeed,  the  existence  of  higher  schools  and 
academies  would  not  have  been  possible  without  such  primary 
instruction. 

Two  rabbis  of  Jerusalem,  specially  distinguished  and  beloved 
on  account  of  their  educational  labours,  were  among  the  last 
victims  of  Herod's  cruelty. 

Later  on,  tradition  ascribes  to  Joshua  the  son  of  Gamla  the 
introduction  of  schools  in  every  town,  and  the  compulsory  educa- 
tion in  them  of  all  children  above  the  age  of  six.  Such  was  the 
trauscendeut  merit  attaching  to  his  act,  that  it  seemed  to  blot  out 
the  guilt  of  the  purchase  for  him  of  the  high -priestly  office  by 
his  wife  Martha,  shortly  before  the  commencement  of  the  great 
Jewish  war. 

To  pass  over  the  fabulous  number  of  schools  supposed  to  have 
existed  in  Jerusalem,  tradition  had  it  that,  despite  of  this,  the 
city  ouly  fell  because  of  the  neglect  of  the  education  of  children. 
It  was  even  deemed  unlawful  to  live  in  a  place  where  there  was 
no  school.  Such  a  city  deserved  to  be  destroyed  or  excom- 
municated. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A,  Oxon., 
D.  D,,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  230. 

A  Jewish  School  in  His  Day- 
Would  you  like  to  take  a  look  into  Jesus'  schoolhouse  *? 
It  is  a  low,  square  stone  building  near  the  village  fountain. 
Over  the  door  is  an  ornamental  carving  of  a  bunch  of  grapes  or 
a  pot  of  manna. 

Entering  beneath  a  gallery  in  the  rear  you  find  yourself  facing 
a  low  platform,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  curtained  chest. 
It  looks  like  a  country  church  in  New  England. 
It  is  a  church,  for  the  schools  in  these  days  were  held  in  the 
meeting-houses,    and     .     .     .     the    ministers  were    the  school- 
teachers.    .     .     . 
If  you  looked  through  the  door  or  window  you  would  see  all 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  93 

the  scholars  seated  iu  a  circle  on  the  floor  around  their  teacher, 
who  was  seated  there,  too,  studying  their  lessons  at  the  top  of 
their  voices !     .     .     . 

There  was  but  one  text-book,  and  only  one  copy  of  that.  It 
was  a  queer-looking  volume,  laid,  when  not  in  use,  behind  the 
curtains  on  yonder  platform.  Written  on  a  leather  roll  from 
right  to  left,  it  was  wound  around  two  metal  staves  and  kept  iu 
a  silk  case. 

It  was  the  Old  Testament.     .     .     . 

Jesus  began  to  study  it  when  he  was  a  child  at  home.  Per- 
haps his  mother  taught  him  first  a  birthday- verse,  beginning 
with  or  containing  the  same  letters  as  his  name,  then  he  learned  a 
few  of  the  shorter  psalms,  especially  those  used  in  the  feast-day 
processions. 

When  he  went  to  school  his  first  lessons  were  in  the  book  of 
Leviticus. 

Every  lesson  was  a  memory  lesson.  How  patiently  the  old 
teacher  drilled,  drilled,  drilled  his  scholars  day  after  day.  Those 
shrill  voices  uplifted  in  concert  were  reciting  over  and  over,  first 
the  olden  laws,  then  the  stories,  and  finally  the  Prophets  and 
the  Psalms,  until  the  children  knew  by  heart,  so  that  they  could 
never  forget,  thousands  of  verses  from  their  nation's  book. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  31. 

He  Must  Have  Been  an  Eager  Scholar 
He  must  have  been  an  eager  scholar,  for  besides  Aramaic, 
which  was  the  vernacular  of  the  Jews,  and  Greek,  which  was 
widely  used,  especially  iu  Galilee,  and  which  He  Himself  used  in 
His  teaching,  He  also  mastered  Hebrew — a  dead  language  in  His 
day,  but  the  vestment  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  of  which 
He  was  a  close  and  earnest  student. 

Up  to  his  tenth  year  it  was  held  that  the  Bible  should  be  the 
exclusive  text-book  of  a  Jewish  boy ;  from  ten  to  fifteen  the 
Mishna  should  be  the  chief  text-book  ;  and  after  the  age  of  fifteen 
the  higher  theological  discussions  were  open  to  him. 

Jesus'  public  life,  when  He  had  no  opportunity  whatever  for 
study,  showed  a  mastery  of  all  branches  of  a  Jewish  boy's  educa- 
tion, which  was  proof  of  careful  training  in  His  early  days. 
Studies  of  the  3Ian  Christ  Jesus,  Robert  E.  Speer,  p.  20. 


d4        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

His  First  Teachers 

Not  until  Jesus  was  ten  or  twelve  did  he  begiu  to  be  taught 
the  explanations  of  what  he  had  learned.  The  ancient  school- 
masters believed  in  rote  first,  then  reason.  School  days  in 
Galilee  were  not  tiresome.  There  were  no  lessons  in  the  middle 
of  the  day  or  in  hot  weather.  About  one  day  in  four  was  a  holi- 
day, and  children  did  not  go  to  school  much  after  they  were 
twelve  or  fourteen  years  old. 

Today  we  study  many  subjects  in  school  ;  drawing  and  paint- 
ing and  cooking  and  carpentering.  In  these  days  the  homes  did 
this  part  of  the  school  training.  Every  boy,  no  matter  how 
wealthy  his  parents,  must  learn  a  trade.  It  was  usually  taught 
him  bj^  his  father.  So  Jesus  learned  from  Joseph  how  to  handle 
the  saw,  the  plane  and  the  mason's  trowel,  while  his  little  sisters, 
Salome  and  Marj^,  were  learning  from  their  mother  how  to  sew 
and  keep  house. 

If  the  school-teacher  taught  Jesus  to  recite  the  Psalms,  it  was 
probably  his  mother  who  taught  him  to  sing  them.     .     <,     . 

In  all  countries  those  who  become  great  owe  a  great  debt  to 
their  mothers.  This  was  especially  so  in  Israel.  Motherhood 
was  the  best  thing  Israel  had.  "  God  could  not  be  everywhere," 
was  one  of  their  sayings,  "and  so  he  made  mothers."  Jesus 
owed  much  to  his  mother.  She  taught  him  many  things  that 
the  village  master  did  not  know.  The  rabbi  knew  what  Abraham 
and  Moses  and  David  did.  But  she  could  tell  her  boy  what  they 
hoped  and  felt  and  suffered.  The  rabbi  lived  in  the  past,  but 
she    .     .     .     had  visions  of  the  future.     .     .     . 

No  wonder  the  greatest  painters  have  tried  to  portray  her  lov- 
ing, thoughtful    face.     No  wonder  that  the  whole  world  honors 
Mary,  who  lived  only  that  she  might  give  the  world  its  king. 
The  Boys'  Life  of  C%rist,  Williani  Byron  Forbnsh,  p.  33. 

Through  Eye  Gate  and  Ear  Gate 

Besides  book  learning,  Jesus  as  a  boy  was  receiving  through 
eye  gate  and  ear  gate  a  knowledge  of  world  afliiirs.  For  He 
witnessed  the  insurrection  under  Judas  of  Galilee.  Stung  to 
madness  by  the  .  advance  of  absolutism,  the  Galilean  masses 
rise  in  a  burst  of  fury.     Ill-timed.     Eome,  infinite  in  oppression. 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  05 

issues  a  quiet  commaud  to  Varus.  He  [sets  in  motiou]  two  legious 
ou  Galilee's  tiuy  spot  of  earth.  The  rebellion  is  crushed  by  sheer 
weight  of  soldiery. 

From  the  heights  above  Nazareth,  Jesus  as  a  boy  looks  dowu 
nightly  upou  the  fire  of  buruiug  villages.  Two  thousand  malcon- 
tents are  crucified.  By  day  the  boy  sees  along  every  road  these 
victims  lifted  ou  crosses  about  two  feet  above  ground,  for  it  is 
Rome's  command  that  the  victims  be  left  near  enough  the  ground 
for  the  wild  beasts  at  night  to  leap  up  and  tear  their  vitals. 
Some  of  these  victims  were  doubtless  known  to  the  boy  Jesus 
personally ;  for  Galilee  was  a  small  district,  and  its  people 
closely  knit. 

The  lad  undoubtedly  received  some  last  messages  concerning 
the  Roman  from  delirious  dying  lii)s  as  he  passed  these  crosses 
beside  every  path  and  highway — a  fact  well  to  remember  when 
we  are  reading  some  of  his  fiercely  bitter  utterances,  later,  against 
those  who  invade  and  oppress  the  people. 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  33. 

Through  Real  Boyhood  to  Manly  Manhood 
He  had  those  nameless  graces  which  belong  to  all  ingenuous 
boys  ;  and  though  he  must  have  seemed  precocious,  at  least  to 
his  own  household,  there  is  no  evidence  that  he  was  thought  re- 
markable by  his  fellow  citizens.  On  the  other  hand,  none  were 
less  prepared  to  see  him  take  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs 
than  the  very  people  who  had  known  him  from  infancy.  .  .  . 
If  he  went  through  the  ordinary  evolutions  of  youth  it  is  certain 
that  the  universal  experiences  of  that  period  must  have  befallen 
him. 

Nothing  could  be  more  unnatural  than  to  suppose  that  he  was 
a  child  without  a  childhood,  .  .  .  who,  though  a  Jew,  in 
Nazareth,  probably  following  a  carpenter's  trade,  was  yet  but  a 
celestial  image,  a  white  and  slender  figure  floatiug  in  a  half- 
spiritual  transfiguration  through  the  days  of  a  glorified  child- 
hood. He  was  "the  Son  of  Man," — a  real  boy,  as  afterward  he 
was  a  most  manly  man.  He  knew  every  step  of  growth  ;  he 
underwent  the  babe's  exi)erience  of  knowing  nothing,  the  child's 
of  knowing  a  little,  the  universal  necessity  of  development ! 
I'he  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  56. 


96        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Off  for  a  Ten  Days*  Trip  to  Jerusalem 

On  the  uight  of  the  holiday,  .  .  .  the  village  went  to  bed 
early,  for  the  next  day  was  to  be  a  notable  one. 

Before  the  sun  was  up  everybody  had  gathered  at  the  fountain. 
The  fathers  and  mothers  and  older  children  were  going  to  leave 
for  a  ten  days'  tour.  They  were  going  to  the  cai^ital  for  the  great 
annual  feast,  to  celebrate  the  nation's  birthday. 

Donkeys  were  beiug  loaded  by  the  men  with  baggage,  the 
mothers  were  saying  good-bye  to  their  little  children,  who  were 
leftin  their  grandparents' charge,  and  the  children  .  .  .  were 
under  the  donkeys'  feet  and  in  everybody's  way,  having  a  glad 
time  in  prospect  of  the  holiday.  For  a  town  with  nobody  in  it 
but  grandparents  and  children  must  be  a  very  jolly  one. 

Soon  the  cavalcade  started,  the  old  rabbi  and  the  chief  men 
with  the  village  banner  riding  ahead,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of 
boys,  among  whom  was  Jesus.  The  rest  followed,  all  except  the 
women,  on  foot. 

Jesus  parted  with  reluctance  from  his  younger  playmates  and 
his  little  brothers  and  sisters.  Even  when  the  pilgrims  could  be 
faintly  heard  by  the  villagers  left  behind,  singing  their  marching 
song  from  the  hilltop,  he  was  seen  waving  his  hand  to  them  in 
farewell.  But  then  his  eyes  turned  eagerly  to  the  pathway  be- 
fore him. 

For  this  was  Jesus'  first  journey  from  home. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byrou  Forbush,  p.  36. 

Their  First  Camp 

Their  camping  spot  was  close  to  a  fountain  and  near  a  cluster 
of  gardens.  Jesus  helped  his  father  fasten  their  beast  and  gath- 
\  ered  sticks  for  a  fire,  so  that  his  mother  might  cook  their  pot- 
tage. After  supper  they  two  made  a  couch  and  shelter  of  branches 
for  the  mother,  while  they  themselves  prepared  to  sleep  on  the 
ground  under  the  stars. 

But  sleep  was  not  to  be  thought  of  at  once.  In  the  distance 
they  could  hear  the  marching  songs  of  other  pilgrims  who  were 
approaching.  Near  by,  a  great  camp-fire  was  a  centre  of  attrac- 
tion. 

Jesus  and  the  other  boys  were  soon  standing  in  its  blaze.  Al- 
ready a  group  of  men  had  gathered,  some  to  exchange  greetings 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  97 

and  uews  with  new-found  friends,  some  to  tell  stories,  some  to 
argne  excitedly  and  endlessly  about  religion.  Above,  the  young 
paschal  moon  was  shining,  making  the  wooded  slopes  of  the  en- 
circling hills  as  distinct  against  the  sky  as  in  day.  Much  did 
the  boys  hear  that  evening,  and  these  three  full  days,  of  the 
strange  languages  and  ideas  of  other  lands  and  still  more  of  the 
glory  of  their  own. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  38. 

Through  Samaria 

The  next  day  their  way  was  through  the  highlands.  The  region 
belonged  to  the  fanatic  Samaritans,  who  thrust  their  tongues  out 
at  them  in  hatred  as  they  passed.  Had  it  not  been  the  feast  time 
they  would  have  taken  a  long  roundabout  course  to  avoid  the  un- 
pleasantness and  danger  of  passing  through  this  region.  But 
perhaps  the  slight  risk  added  a  delightful  element  of  excitement 
to  the  younger  pilgrims. 

Thoy  passed  in  sight  of  the  well  where  Joseph  was  left  by  his 
envious  brothers,  and  told  each  other  again  the  splendid  tale  of 
the  trials  and  triumphs  of  that  princely  youth,  and  soon  they 
came  to  the  city  of  Samaria,  which  was  the  new  political  capital, 
as  Jerusalem  was  the  ancient  religious  capital  of  the  nation. 

It  must  have  seemed  to  the  boys  almost  a  fairy  town.  The 
white  houses  in  their  green  foliage  climbed  up  the  hill  to  the 
king's  marble  palace  at  the  top,  and  from  its  walls  and  gardens 
one  could  look  northward  to  a  curve  of  noble  forest-crowned  hills, 
westward  to  the  blue  sea,  and  southward  down  the  greenest 
valley  in  all  the  land.  They  hurried  down  this  valley  for,  though 
it  was  a  beautiful,  it  was  not  a  friendly  city.  On  every  side  were 
orange  and  lemon  groves,  fragrant  as  spice,  and  the  nightingales 
were  already  beginning  to  sing  in  the  branches. 
The  Boys''  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  39. 

** Our  Feet  Shall  Stand  Within  Thy  Gates,  O  Jerusalem! ** 

Refreshed  by  sleep,  breaking  up  their  simple  camp,  the  mingled 
throng  at  early  morning  start  forth  again.  A  voice  is  heard 
chanting  a  psalm.  It  is  caught  up  by  others.  The  whole  region 
resounds.     And  these  are  the  words  : 


98        THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

"  I  was  glad  wbeu  they  said  unto  me, 
Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord. 
Our  feet  shall  staud 
Within  thy  gates,  O  Jerusalem  ! 
Jerusalem  is  builded 
As  a  city  that  is  compact  together  : 
Whither  the  tribes  go  up,  the  tribes  of  the  Lord, 
Unto  the  testimony  of  Israel, 
To  give  thanks  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
For  there  are  set  thrones  of  judgment, 
The  thrones  of  the  house  of  David. 
Pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem  : 
They  shall  prosper  that  love  thee. 
Peace  be  within  thy  walls. 
And  prosperity  within  thy  palaces. 
For  my  brethren  and  companions'  sakes 
I  will  now  say.  Peace  be  within  thee. 
Because  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  our  God 
I  will  seek  thy  good." 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  71. 

The  Holy  House  Flashed  into  View 

Though  loug  awaited,  the  first  sight  of  the  city  was  unexpecte'd. 
They  climbed  a  hillock  aud  lo  !  it  was  all  spread  before  them. 
The  great  stoue  castles  of  the  Roma  us  were  ou  the  right,  the  old 
gray  wall  was  arouud  it,  aud  the  hills  were  its  guardiaus,  but 
there  at  the  left  before  them  was  the  Temple  Hill  with  its  suowy 
terraces  of  marble  aud  its  roofs  of  gleamiug  gold  !  A  burst  of 
soug  arose  as  the  Holy  House  flashed  iuto  view.  Theu  the  whole 
compauy  knelt  iu  thauksgiviug. 

Dowu  through  the  fig  aud  olive  trees  they  hastened,  past  the 
villas  of  the  wealthy,  meeting  now  a  baud  of  iron-armored 
Romau  legionaries,  now  a  group  of  silken-gowned  doctors  of  Ihe 
law,  until  they  entered  the  city  gate. 

There  was  no  question  of  paying  for  entertainment.  All  Jeru- 
salem was  keeping  open  house.  But  the  city  was  already  crowded 
with  hundreds  of  thousands  of  f»eople.  If  there  was  a  curtain 
hanging  over  any  entrance  it  meant,  "  Still  there  is  room."  But 
if  there  was  no  room  left,  belated  travelers  encamped  cheerfully 
in  the  orchards  outside  the  gates. 

Too  eager  to  rest,  too  grateful  to  sleep,  the  pilgrims  from  Naza- 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  99 

retb,  taking  a  hasty  meal  and  greetiDg  many  of  their  distant  kins- 
men, hurried  to  join  the  great  throng  in  the  Temple  courts,  and 
there  they  were  found  even  until  midnight  waiting  in  the  moon- 
light their  turn  to  present  their  free-will  gifts. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbusb,  p.  42. 

Under  the  Shadow  of  His  Father's  Temple 
Between  Hiunom  and  Kidrou,  where  the  two  valleys  met  at 
the  southeast  of  the  city.  His  eyes,  looking  down  from  the  Temple 
Mount,  would  rest  on  the  contrasted  sweetness  of  the  softly  flow- 
ing waters  of  Siloam,  which  bubbled  up  noiselessly  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill,  and  after  filling  a  double  pool,  glided  on  to  the  south, 
till  they  lost  themselves  in  the  king's  gardens. 

City  and  people :  the  past  and  the  present,  must  have  filled  the 
whole  being  of  the  Child  with  awe  and  wonder,  for  He  now  stood, 
for  the  first  time,  under  the  shadow  of  His  Father's  Temple,  and 
the  murmur  of  countless  languages  that  filled  the  air  was,  in 
very  truth,  homage  to  that  Father  from  all  the  world. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  201. 

Though  a  Gjuntry  Boy,  the  Strange  Sights  Did  Not 
Fascinate  Him 

For  the  first  time  the  boy  from  Nazareth  of  Galilee,  with  its 
freedom  and  sweet  air  and  sky,  and  the  liberal,  loving  life  of  Mary's 
home,  was  brought  into  contact  with  the  formalized  religious  life 
of  His  nation  :  the  Holy  City  of  David,  kept  scrupulously  free 
from  all  ceremonial  uucleauness ;  and  the  mighty,  inviolate 
Temple,  thronged  now  with  the  tens  and  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  pilgrims  who,  from  many  lands  and  many  thousands  of  cities, 
had  come  to  worship  at  Jerusalem, 

It  must  have  been  a  wonderful  sight  to  Jesus,  and  have  quick- 
ened all  the  pulses  within  Him.  Yet,  though  He  was  a  country 
boy,  the  strange  sights  had  no  fascination  for  Him — not  even  the 
historic  places  made  famous  by  the  stories  with  which  His  mother 
had  made  His  heart  swell  with  the  pride  of  His  famous  nation  in 
the  twilight  of  the  Sabbath  evenings  in  Nazareth.  His  boyish 
meditations  had  already  carried  Him  beyond  the  outward  show, 
and  He  spent  His  days  at  the  Temple  listening  to  the  doctors. 
Studies  of  the  Man  Christ  Jesus,  Robert  E.  Speer,  p.  21. 


100      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

A  Supper  of  Symbok 

When  the  great  day  of  the  feast  came,  Joseph,  the  father  of  the 
family,  carried  up  the  choice  yearling  lamb  which  he  had 
brought  for  the  sacrifice.  When  the  priest  had  slain  it,  Mary 
roasted  it  upori  a  cross  of  pomegranate  wood. 

Away  from  the  crowd,  in  an  upper  room,  Joseph  and  his  wife 
and  their  boy  ate  the  sacred  meal.  Every  part  of  it  was  a  story 
told  in  picture  and  action.  There  lay  the  lamb  upon  the  board, 
to  remind  them  that  redemption  is  always  at  the  cost  of  life. 
Here  were  the  bitter  herbs,  type  of  the  bitterness  of  slavery,  and 
a  paste  of  fruits,  emblem  of  the  mortar  used  by  their  fathers  when 
they  were  forced  to  make  bricks  in  Egypt.  They  ate  standing 
and  in  haste,  as  if  just  fleeing  from  bondage.  Solemn  thanks- 
givings were  offered  and  the  old  songs  were  sung. 
The  Boys^  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Foibush,  p.  45. 

**To  Rescue  Israel  from  the  Roman  Yoke" 

"  Ere  yet  my  age 
Had  measured  twice  six  j^ears,  at  our  great  feast 
I  went  into  the  temple,  there  to  hear 
The  teachers  of  our  law,  and  to  propose 
What  might  improve  my  knowledge  or  their  own  ; 
And  was  admired  by  all  :  yet  this  not  all 
To  which  my  spirit  aspired  :  victorious  deeds 
Flamed  in  my  heart,  heroic  acts,  one  while 
To  rescue  Israel  from  the  Roman  yoke  ; 
Then  to  subdue  aud  quell,  o'er  all  the  earth, 
Brute  violence  and  proud  tyrannic  power. 
Till  truth  were  freed,  and  equity  restored." 

The  Poetical  Works  of  John  Milton,  Vol.  II.    Paradise  Begained,  Book  I,  p.  16. 

The  Boy  Tarried  Behind 
And  his  'parents  went  every  year  to  Jerusalem  at  the  feast  of 
the  passover.  And  when  he  was  twelve  years  old,  they  went  up 
after  the  custom  of  the  feast ;  and  when  they  had  fulfilled  the 
days,  as  they  were  returning,  the  boy  Jesus  tarried  behind  in 
Jerusalem ;  and  his  parents  knew  it  not ;  but  supposing  him  to 
be  in  the  company,  they  went  a  day's  journey  ;  and  they  sought 
for  him  among  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance  ;  and  when  they 
found  him  not  they  returned  to  Jerusalem,  seeking  for  him. 
Luke  11.  41-45.     Revised  Version. 


Courtesy  of   Tissot   Picture  Society  Copyright  by  J.   J.    Tissot,   lSgs-6 

STARTING    BACK.   TO    NAZARETH 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  101 

A  Vain  Search 
Tradition  points  out  Beeroth  as  the  spot  where,  at  nightfall, 
Joseph  and  Mary  were  first  aware  of  the  absence  of  Jesus. 

One  is  at  a  loss  to  understand,  upon  first  thoughts,  how  they 
were  so  slow  to  take  alarm  ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
Jerusalem,  during  the  Passover  season,  was  thronged  with  two 
or  three  million  pilgrims,  and  in  consequence  caravans  were 
formed  amidst  the  greatest  confusion.  It  was  only  when  the 
long  files  of  travelers  with  camels  and  mules  had  left  the  city 
gates  far  behind  them,  that  it  became  possible  to  collect  together 
one's  own  party,  and  to  keep  some  order.  Kindred  and  friends 
were  then  united,  the  women  and  the  old  people  mounted  upon 
beasts  of  burden,  the  men  on  foot,  leading  the  way,  while,  as  they 
journeyed  along,  they  chanted  their  sacred  hymns. 

The  parents  of  Jesus,  not  seeing  Him,  would  think  that  He 
had  joined  some  other  band,  and  thus  they  would  pursue  their 
way,  expecting  Him  to  rejoin  them  when  the  caravan  came  to  a 
halt  at  eventide. 

But  their  search  for  Him  then  among  the  crowd  was  a  vain 
one  :  Jesus  was  not  to  be  found ;  and  their  anxiety  was  very 
great,  for  Judea  was  then  in  an  uproar  of  sedition.  The  exile  of 
Archelaus,  recently  deposed  by  Augustus,  had  resulted  in  the 
reduction  of  his  kingdom  into  a  Eoman  province  and  the  imposi- 
tion of  additional  taxes. 

At  this  new  badge  of  servitude  the  people  revolted,  and  the 
excitement  raised  by  the  insurrections  of  Sadoc  and  Judas  the 
Gaulouite  was  still  agitating  them.  In  such  troublous  times, 
amid  the  wild  crews  which  were  scouring  over  the  country,  what 
perils  might  not  menace  a  lost  child  ! 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abbe  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  82. 

Finding  Him  in  the  Temple 
And  it  came  to  pass,  after  three  days  they. found  him  in  the 
temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  teachers,  both  hearing  them 
and  asking  them  questions :  and  all  that  heard  him  were  amazed 
at  his  understanding  and  his  answers.  And  when  they  saw 
him,  they  were  astonished ;  and  his  mother  said  unto  him.  Son, 
why  hast  thou  thus  dealt  with  us  1  behold,  thy  father  and  I  sought 
thee  sorrowing.     And   he   said  unto  them,  How  is  it  that  ye 


102      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

souglit  me  1    Knew  ye  not  that  I  must  be  in  my  Father's  house  ? 
And  they  understood  not  the  saying  which  he  spake  unto  them. 

Luke  ii.  46-50.     American  Revision. 

**  Why  Hast  Thou  Thus  Dealt  with  Us?** 
"Why  hast  Thou  dealt  thus  with  us ? "  It  is  a  puzzled  ques- 
tion. The  Boy,  who  had  been  an  obedient  child  in  her  house- 
hold, whom  she  had  cared  for  in  her  own  way  and  found  always 
docile  to  her  guidance,  had  suddenly  passed  beyond  her  and  done 
a  thing  which  she  could  not  understand.  It  seemed  as  if  she  had 
lost  Him.  Her  tone  is  full  of  love,  but  there  is  something  almost 
like  jealousy  about  it.  He  has  taken  Himself  into  His  own  keep- 
ing, and  this  one  act  seems  to  foretell  the  time  when  He  will  take 
His  whole  life  into  His  own  hands,  and  leave  her  outside  alto- 
gether. The  time  has  passed  when  she  could  hold  Him  as  a  babe 
upon  her  bosom  as  she  carried  Him  dowu  into  Egypt.  .  .  . 
No  wonder  that  it  is  a  clear,  critical  moment  in  her  life.  No 
wonder  that  her  question  still  rings  with  the  pain  she  \}\\t  into  it. 
No  wonder  that  when  she  went  home,  although  He  was  still 
"subject  unto  her,"  her  life  with  her  Son  was  all  changed,  and 
she  "  kept  all  these  sayiugs  in  her  heart." 

The  Mother'' s  Wonder,    Phillips  Brooks,  Twenty  Sermons,  p.  20. 

His  Mother  Did  Not  Understand  Then 

You  will  understand  me  when  I  say  that  Jesus  had  a  right  to 
have  forgotten  all  about  his  mother  just  then.  True,  she  was 
anxious,  but  he  was  not  a  child  now.  His  father  needed  him 
in  Nazareth,  but  the  All-Father  in  heaven  needed  his  whole  life. 
And  he  had  this  great  life  question  which  needed  all  the  help 
he  could  get  to  solve,  and  he  had  begun  to  solve  it,  as  all  boys 
do  when  they  begin  to  be  men,  alone. 

So  he  looked,  like  one  awaking,  wonderingly  into  her  face 
and  answered,  "  How  is  it  that  you  are  searching  for  me  ?  " 

Up  to  this  time  his  mother  had  been  in  the  habit  of  saying 
gently  to  him,  "You  must,"  and  he  had  obeyed  her.  Now  and 
henceforth  he  felt  a  Voice  within  which  said  "J  must."  That 
Voice,  God's  Voice,  must  hereafter  be  obeyed.  So  he  answered, 
"  Did  you  not  know  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  work  ?" 

She  did  not  understand  what  he  meant  although  she  thought 
of  those  words  many  times  later. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  50. 


THE  BOY  OF  NAZARETH  103 

Many  a  Boy  Feels  That  Way 

Mauy  a  boy  feels  that  way.  He  has  decided  upon  some  noble 
calling.  "  Let  me  begin  it  at  once  "  is  his  cry.  But  he  forgets 
his  need  of  knowledge  and  wisdom  and  exjierience,  and  that  just 
at  i^resent  the  most  important  thing  he  has  to  do  is  to  get  ready. 

So,  back  up  again  that  steep  pathway  from  Esdraelon  to  for- 
saken Nazareth  he  went,  to  obey,  to  love,  to  serve,  and  the  wise 
men  of  Jerusalem  entirely  forgot  him. 

His  school-days  were  soon  over.  No  doubt  the  village  teacher 
remained  his  frieud,  but  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  taught 
him  all  he  knew.  Probably  he  borrowed  the  great  roll  of  the 
holy  writings  in  the  village  church  and  read  them  over  and  over, 
for  when  he  became  a  man  he  knew  them  by  heart.     .     .     . 

At  once  he  went  to  work.  His  father  was  a  builder.  The 
house  was  now  full  of  little  ones,  and  the  oldest  boy  was  as  busy 
as  his  father  in  providing  for  their  wants.  Had  you  lived  in 
Nazareth  then  you  would  have  seen  him  standing  among  the 
shavings  in  the  house  door,  holding  firmly  the  timber  for  his 
father  to  saw,  helping  carry  the  finished  work  through  the  street 
or  tramping  off  beside  Joseph  with  his  kit  of  tools  to  do  work  in 
some  neighboring  village. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  "William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  51. 

Not  Yet ! 
Not  yet !  This  ministry  of  youth  was  not  wholesome.  Pre- 
mature prodigies  have  never  done  God's  work  on  earth.  It 
would  have  pleased  the  appetite  for  wonder,  had  his  childhood 
continued  to  emit  such  flashes  as  came  forth  in  the  Temple.  But 
such  is  not  the  order  of  nature,  and  the  Son  of  God  had  consented 
to  be  "  made  under  the  law."  It  is  plain,  from  his  reply  to  his 
mother,  that  he  was  conscious  of  the  nature  that  was  in  him,  and 
that  strong  impulses  urged  him  to  disclose  his  power.  It  is 
therefore  very  significant,  and  not  the  least  of  the  signs  of  di- 
vinity, that  he  rules  his  spirit,  and  dwelt  at  -home  in  unmur- 
muring expectation.  ' '  He  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to 
Nazareth,  and  was  subject  unto  them." 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecber,  Vol.  I,  p.  74. 


VII 

WOEKING  AT  HIS  TEADE 

The  Man  most  man,  with  tenderest  human  hands, 
Works  best  for  men,  as  God  in  Nazareth, 

— 3Irs.  Browning. 

Growing  in  Age  and  Wisdom 
And  he  went  down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth  ;  and  he 
was  subject  unto  them  :  and  his  mother  kept  all  these  sayings  in 
her  heart.     And  Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom  and  age,  and  in  grace 
with  God  and  men. 

Luke  ii,  51,  52.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

Thou  Didst  Deign  to  Be  the  Son  of  a  Carpenter 
I  praise  and  magnify  Thee  with  boundless  love,  for  Thy  lowly 
and  hidden  life  among  men  and  Thy  fellow  villagers,  Never 
manifesting  any  sign  which  might  have  led  to  a  recognition  of 
Thy  Godhead,  Thou  deignedst  to  be  called  and  to  be  considered 
the  son  of  a  carpenter. 

Meditatiom  on  the  Life  of  Christ,  Thomas  a  Kempis,  p.  38. 

Among  the  World's  Workers 

So  he  went  back  to  Nazareth.  He  became  a  carpenter.  He 
took  his  place  among  the  world's  workers. 

His  occupation  as  a  carpenter  brought  him  intimately  into  the 
lives  of  the  people.  The  trades  were  not  then  specialized  as  they 
have  become  to-day.  The  carpenter  did  practically  all  of  the 
constructive  work,  both  within  and  without  the  house.  He  was 
called  upon  to  make  everything,  from  the  rocker  of  the  cradle 
to  the  bier  of  burial,     .     .     . 

He  was  the  tool  maker,  and  fashioned  the  rude  instruments 
with  which  the  farmer  worked  his  field.  Justin  Martyr  speaks 
of  Jesus  as  having  made  "  ploughs  and  yokes."  The  carpenter 
was  also  the  cabinet-maker  of  the  day,  and  built  the  crude  house- 
hold furniture. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  35. 

104 


WORKING  AT  HIS  TRADE  105 

Avoided  Rather  Than  Sought 

He  must  have  beeu  a  mystery  to  His  household.  He  had  been 
so  even  with  His  mother  from  the  time  of  the  Temple  visit,  aud 
He  must  have  become  more  aud  more  so  as  He  weut  on  His  own 
way,  joining  no  party,  silent,  thoughtful,  self-contained,  given  to 
solitude,  aud  with  a  light  iu  His  great  eyes  that  seemed  as  if  they 
saw  into  the  very  souls  of  those  on  whom  they  were  turned.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  could  not  understand  Him,  even  after  He 
had  become  a  public  teacher. 

Aloue  iu  that  beautiful  world  of  Galilee,  with  its  skies  filled 
with  light — its  green  plains  and  valleys,  wooded  hills,  and  shin- 
ing sea ;  amidst  a  brave,  bright,  fiery,  noble  j)eople,  and  yet  so 
different  from  them — a  faithful  son,  a  patient  worker  at  His 
daily  toil,  a  friend  of  children  and  of  the  poor  and  needy,  gentle, 
loving,  pure,  and  yet  so  wholly  apart  by  His  very  perfection — 
we  may  almost  think  He  must  have  been  avoided  rather  than 
sought. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  CuuuiDgliam  Geikie,  D,  D.,  Vol,  I,  p.  332. 

Mary  in  Her  Hwt  and  Livia  in  Her  Palace 
Woman  was  more  influential  in  the  life  of  the  ancient  world 
than  the  history  of  those  times,  written  by  men,  has  accredited 
her.  And  Mary  .  .  .  played  a  part  in  the  drama  of  this 
world's  affairs  which  refuses  to  be  ignored.  Perhaps  she  kept 
before  herself  the  image  of  that  other  woman — her  contemporary 
— Livia,  mistress  of  the  imperial  palace  on  the  Tiber.  Here  also 
was  a  wife  and  mother  of  force,  and  of  considerable  influence  in 
public  afi"airs.  But  with  this  the  resemblance  ceases.  .  .  . 
Thus  confronted  each  other  these  two,  Mary  and  Livia,  each  of 
them  strong-minded,  and  each  bringing  forth  fruit  after  her  kind. 
Livia,  mistress  of  the  Palatine,  a  world  at  her  feet,  founds  a 
lineage  of  decadence.  Mary,  in  a  mud-plastered  hut  hid  in  the 
Lebanon  rauge,  fouuds  a  dynasty  of  free  spirits  more  enduring 
than  the  dynasty  of  the  Csesars. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bonck  White,  p.  60. 

The  Family  Circle  of  Which  He  Was  the  Centre 
Joseph,  according  to  old  tradition,  died  when  Jesus  was  eight- 
een years  old,  aud  it  seems  certain,  from  the  fact  that  he  is  not 


106      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

meutioued  in  the  Gospels  during  Christ's  public  life,  that  he 
died  at  least  before  that  begau.  From  the  time  of  his  death,  we 
are  told,  doubtless  correctly,  Jesus  sui)ported  His  mother  by  the 
work  of  His  bauds,  at  least,  iu  commou  with  others  of  the  house- 
hold. It  is  added  that  He  had  grown  up  with  four  brothers, 
James,  JosejDh,  Simon,  and  Jude,  and  at  least  two  sisters,  whose 
names  are  said  to  have  been  Esther  aud  Tamar ;  but  Jude  aud 
Simou,  and  both  the  sisters,  we  are  told,  married  before  Joseph's 
death,  aud  settled  in  the  town  of  Nazareth.  Some  think  that 
Salome,  the  mother  of  James  aud  John,  aud  wife  of  Zebedee,  was 
Mary's  elder  sister  ;  others  identify  her  with  the  Mary  who 
married  Clopas-Alphteus,  a  townsman,  but  he,  like  Joseph,  seems 
to  have  died  before  Jesus  begau  His  ministry.  This  couple  seem 
to  have  had  two  sons,  James  and  Joses,  but  it  is  not  told  us 
whether  they  had  any  daughters.  The  two  households  formed 
the  family  circle  of  which  Jesus  was  the  wondrous  centre. 

2'he  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuingham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol,  I,  p.  330. 

The  Training  of  the  Carpenter's  Shop 
Jesus  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  from  his  father.  There 
is  a  beautiful  tradition  that  Joseph,  his  reputed  father,  died 
"while  Jesus  was  a  youth,  aud  so  he  worked  not  merely  to  earn 
his  own  living,  but  to  keep  the  little  home  together  in  Nazareth, 
and  Mary  aud  the  youuger  members  of  the  family  depended  on 
his  toil. 

"The  man  Jesus  rose  at  daybreak,  and  picking  up  his  tools, 
made  yokes  aud  tables  for  something  to  eat." 

*' Jesus  never  did  a  piece  of  shoddy  work,  or  God  could  not 
have  said  of  his  Son,  '  I  am  well  pleased.'  " 

"In  that  carpenter's  shop  he  fought  many  battles." 
"Alone  he  did  his  work,  aud  faced  all  the  subtle  forms  of 
temptation  that  beset  mankind." 

The  carpenter's  shop  in  the  home  was  "the  seed  plot  of  the 
manly  virtues."  In  that  school  maybe  learned  nearly  all  the 
virtues,  when  the  smallest  acts  are  done  with  the  highest  motives. 
The  spiritual  motive  transfigures  the  lowliest  toil. 

"  Plucked  by  his  hand,  the  meanest  weed  that  grows 
Towers  to  the  lily,  reddens  to  the  rose. ' ' 
Peloubet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  for  1900,  p.  28. 


WORKING  AT  HIS  TRADE  107 

**  A  Workman  That  Needeth  Not  to  Be  Ashamed" 
"Take  my  yoke  upon  you,"  hints  a  tool  maker  who  shaped 
his  ox  yokes  with  painstaking  care  so  as  to  tit  smoothly  onto  the 
neck,  and  who  took  honest  pride  in  the  tact.  A  number  of  his 
disciples  were  intimately  known  to  him  before  he  entered  upon 
his  public  career.  The  fact  that  they  responded  willingly  when 
he  summoned  them  to  enlist  under  him  for  the  Cause,  is  eloquent 
of  the  respect  he  must  have  inspired  in  them  back  in  his  car- 
penter days. 

Furthermore,  we  find  in  him  a  fiue  scorn  of  unworkmanlike 
qualities  in  men  of  other  trades.  To  plough  a  straight  furrow 
requires  in  a  ploughman  that  he  fix  his  eye  on  some  objective 
point,  and  steer  toward  it.  To  be  glancing  carelessly  around 
betrays  itself  in  crooked  and  uneven  furrows  when  the  work  is 
done. 

Jesus  declares  that  he  had  no  use  for  such  a  man,  one  who, 
"having  put  his  hand  to  the  plough,  looks  back."     The  accumu- 
lation of  evidence  is  unmistakable :  The  Carpenter  of  Nazareth 
was  "a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed." 
The  Call  of  'The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  38, 

The  Same  Trade  with  Me 

(By  an  English  Carpenter) 
"  Isn't  this  Joseph's  Son?"     Aye,  it  is  He. 
**  Joseph,  the  carpenter  " — same  trade  with  me  ! 
I  thought  as  I'd  find  it,  I  knew  it  was  here, 

But  my  sight's  getting  queer. 

I  don't  know  right  where  as  His  shed  might  ha'  stood, 
But  often,  as  I've  been  a-planing  my  wood, 
I've  took  off  my  hat  just  with  thinking  that  He 
Did  the  same  work  with  me. 

He  warn't  that  set  up  that  He  couldn't  stoop  down 
And  work  in  the  country  for  folks  in  the  town. 
And  I'll  warrant  He  felt  a  bit  pride  like  I've  done 
At  a  good  job  begun. 

So  I  comes  right  away  by  myself  with  the  Book, 
And  I  turns  the  old  pages  and  has  a  good  look 
For  the  text  as  I've  found  as  tells  me  that  He 
Worked  the  same  trade  with  me, 

— Anonymous. 


108      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Nightmare  Terror  Was  upon  Every  Home 
There  are  those  who  would  admire  Jesus  more  if  he  had  left 
world  jDolitics  aloue.  But  world  politics  would  not  leave  him 
aloue.  He,  his  kindred,  his  fellow  countrymen,  were  exposed 
hourly  to  the  press-gang,  with  its  summons  into  the  unspeakable 
conditions  in  the  slave  stable  of  some  Eoman  lord.  Daily  the 
collar  was  riveted  about  his  own  neck.  To  have  asked  him  to 
coucern  himself  only  with  "religion"  and  to  let  world  politics 
alone,  would  be  like  asking  a  person  to  forget  a  pack  of  wolves 
leaping  at  him  with  a  three  months'  hunger  gnawing  their 
vitals.     .     .     . 

Rome's  arm  reached  easily  into  Syria  and  was  ever  drawing 
off  the  flower  of  its  populatiou  into  her  slave  kennels.  Duriug 
his  boyhood  Jesus  had  seen  the  entire  poj)ulation  of  Sepphoris, 
a  town  near  Nazareth,  sold  by  the  Romans  into  slavery.  Only 
fifty  years  before,  Rome  had  captured  thirty  thousand  Jews  and 
made  them  into  slaves.  .  .  .  For  with  the  Romans,  war  was 
business— entered  upon  from  business  motives  and  conducted  on 
strictly  business  principles.  Her  wars  were  freebooting  raids. 
And  no  province  in  the  empire  realized  this  more  poignantly 
than  Syria  and  Galilee.     .     .     . 

The  nightmare  terror  was  upon  every  home,  as  the  Roman 
slave-catchers  drew  near  :  "  There  shall  be  two  men  in  one  bed  ; 
the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  shall  be  left.  Two  women 
shall  be  grinding  together  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other 
left.  Two  men  shall  be  in  the  field  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and 
the  other  left." 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  46. 

Revolt  of  Jodas  the  Gawlonite 

Yet  was  there  one  Judas,  a  Gaulonite,  of  the  city  whose  name 
was  Gamala,  who  taking  with  him  Saddouk,  a  Pharisee,  became 
zealous  to  draw  them  into  a  revolt,  who  both  said  that  this  taxa- 
tion was  no  better  than  an  introduction  to  slavery,  and  exhorted 
the  nation  to  assert  their  liberty  ;  as  if  they  could  procure  them 
happiness  and  security  for  what  they  possessed,  and  an  ensured 
enjoyment  of  a  still  greater  good,  which  was  that  of  the  honour 
and  glory  they  would  thereby  acquire  for  magnanimity. 

They  also  said  that  God  would  not  otherwise  be  assisting  to 


WORKING  AT  HIS  TRADE  109 

tliera,  than  upon  their  joining  with  one  another  in  such  counsels 
as  might  be  successful,  and  for  their  own  advantage ;  and  this 
especially,  if  they  would  set  about  great  exploits,  and  not  grow 
weary  in  executing  the  same  ;  so  men  received  what  they  said 
with  pleasure,  and  this  bold  attempt  proceeded  to  a  great  height. 

All  sorts  of  misfortunes  also  sprang  from  these  men,  and  the 
nation  was  infected  with  this  doctrine  to  an  incredible  degree; 
one  violent  war  came  upon  us  after  another,  and  we  lost  our 
friends  which  used  to  alleviate  our  pains  ;  there  were  also  very 
great  robberies  and  murders  of  our  principal  men. 

Such  were  the  consequences  of  this,  that  the  customs  of  our 
fathers  were  altered,  and  such  a  change  was  made,  as  added  a 
mighty  weight  toward  bringing  all  to  destruction,  which  these 
men  occasioned  by  their  thus  conspiring  together  ;  for  Judas  and 
Sadducus  [Saddouk],  who  excited  a  fourth  philosophic  sect  among 
us,  and  had  a  great  many  followers  therein,  filled  our  civil 
governmeut  with  tumults  at  present,  and  laid  the  foundations 
of  our  future  miseries  by  this  system  of  philosophy,  which  we 
were  before  unacquainted  withal  ;  .  .  .  and  thus  the  rather, 
because  the  infection  which  spread  thence  among  the  younger 
sort,  who  were  zealous  for  it,  brought  the  people  to  destruction. 

The  Works  of  Flavins  Josephus,  edited  by  William  Whlston,  A.  M.     Antiq- 
uities of  the  Jews,  Book  XVIII,  Chap.  I,  p.  39. 

**  They  Are  Speaking  of  Yo«,  My  Son  ! " 

There  had  been  occasional  uprisings  of  the  people  against  Rome, 
but  most  of  them  were  waiting  for  some  one  to  spring  from  amongst 
themselves  who  would  become  their  king  and  deliverer.  They 
had  read  even  in  their  school-book,  our  Old  Testament,  that  a 
''Messiah  "  or  "Christ "  (the  words  mean  Consecrated  One)  was 
to  come,  and  "he,"  they  thought,  "would  make  their  kingdom 
as  glorious  again  as  his  own  ancestor,  David,  had  made  it. " 

How  eagerly  must  the  young  carpenter  have  listened  to  their 
talk  !  Was  not  his  mother  often  by  his  side  to  whisper  ;  "  They 
are  speaking  of  you,  my  son  !  " 

But  he  did  not  say  much  in  answer. 

Did  his  neighbors  think  it  strange  that  the  young  man,  who 
claimed  to  belong  to  the  family  of  David,  should  seem  to  care  so 
little  for  his  country?  Did  they  ever  say:  "Why  is  Jesus 
always  reading  the  sacred  books  in  his  shop  and  in  his  home? 


110      THE  STORY-LIFE  OP  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

He  uever  offers  to  read  them  aloud  iu  the  meeting-house  service 
aud  he  uever  takes  part  iu  the  debates,  that  follow  the  readiug, 
about  '  the  Kingdom  to  come  ? ' " 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  56. 

Life  and  Death  from  Rome 

Caesar's  spearmen  rode 
Terrible  with  eagles,  bringing  news 
Of  life  and  death  from  Rome.     Or  strode  austere. 
Contemptuously,  flaunting  phylacteries, 
The  Pharisee  aud  Scril)e.     Or,  noise  of  slaves 
Sweating  beneath  the  litter's  gilded  poles, 
Told  where  there  passed  some  languid  palace  dame. 
The  Light  of  the  World,  Sir  Edwin  Arnold,  K.  C.  I.  E.,  C.  S.  I.,  p.  56. 

**  The  Eagles  Gathered  Together  ** 
He  should  have  escaped  the  vortex  of  world  politics  ?  Jesus 
could  not  escape  that  vortex.  This  carpenter  family  in  Nazareth 
was  one  of  Eome's  assets,  aud  could  no  more  have  dodged  the 
enrolment  lists  of  the  empire  than  a  horse  could  disappear  from 
the  account  books  of  a  carefully  conducted  lauded  estate  and  the 
fact  not  be  noted.  If  the  empire  allowed  the  members  of  that 
family  to  remain  as  freemen,  it  was  only  that  it  might  tax  their 
free  labor,  aud  with  the  sword  of  possible  slavery  constantly 
over  their  heads. 

A  paid  spydom  watched  that  Nazareth  family — as  it  watched 
every  other  working-class  family  iu  the  empire. — aud  if  by  extra- 
ordinary saving  they  had  put  aside  a  sum  against  sickness  or  old 
age,  it  would  have  been  taken  from  them,  if  necessary,  at  the 
point  of  the  sword. 

Jesus  used  this  as  an  argument  against  engrossment  by  his 
fellow  countrymen  in  piling  up  wealth  :  "Wheresoever  the  car- 
cass is,  there  will  the  eagles  be  gathered  together."  (The  eagle 
was  Eome's  military  insiguium,  and  borne  at  the  head  of  her 
cohorts.)  There  was  no  incentive  to  thrift,  but  encouragement 
rather  to  au  improvident,  hand-to-mouth  existence. 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  48. 

Pontios  Pilate  Appointed  Procwrator 
It  was,  doubtless,  with  no  little  alarm  that  the  news  came  in 
the  year  26,  when  the  influence  of  Sejauus  was  at  its  height,  that 


WORKING  AT  HIS  TRADE  111 

Valerius  Gratus  had  at  length  been  recalled,  and  Poutius  Pilate 
appointed  in  his  stead.  The  client  was  worthy  of  the  patron. 
Venal,  covetous,  cruel,  even  delighting  in  blood,  without  prin- 
ciple or  remorse,  and  yet  wanting  decision  at  critical  moments, 
his  name  soou  became  specially  infamous  in  Judea.  He  bore 
himself  in  the  most  offensive  way  toward  the  people  of  Jeru- 
salem. The  garrison  of  Antouia  had  hitherto  always  left  the 
ornaments  of  their  military  standards  at  the  headquarters  in 
CiTisarea,  since  the  Jews  would  not  suffer  the  Holy  City  to  be 
profaned  by  the  presence  of  the  eagles  and  the  busts  of  the  em- 
perors, of  which  they  mainly  consisted.  But  Pilate,  apparently 
ou  the  first  change  of  the  garrison,  ordered  the  new  regiments  to 
enter  the  city  by  uiglit  with  the  offensive  emblems  on  their 
standards,  and  Jerusalem  awoke  to  see  the  idolatrous  symbols 
planted  within  sight  of  the  Temple. 

Universal  excitement  spread  through  the  city,  and  the  rabbis 
and  people  took  mutual  counsel  how  the  outrage  could  be  re- 
moved. The  country  soon  began  to  pour  in  its  multitudes.  The 
violent  party  counseled  force,  but  the  more  sensible  prevailed  as 
yet,  and  a  multitude  of  the  citizens  hurried  off  to  Pilate  at 
Ciesarea,  to  entreat  him  to  take  away  the  cause  of  such  bitter 
offence.  But  Pilate  would  not  listen,  and  treated  the  request  as 
an  affront  to  the  empeior. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  279, 

Their  Hatred  Had  Grown  with  Their  Calamities 
With  the  Jews,  the  old  hatred  of  all  races  but  their  own  had 
grown  with  the  calamities  of  the  nation.  It  seemed  to  them  a 
duty  to  hate  the  heathen  and  the  Samaritan,  but  their  cjaiicism 
extended,  besides,  to  all  respecting  whom  the  jealousy  for  the 
honour  of  the  Law  had  raised  suspicion.  They  hated  the  publi- 
cans ;  the  rabbi  hated  the  priest,  the  Pharisee  the  Sadducee, 
and  both  loathed  and  hated  the  common  people,  who  did  not 
know  the  ten  thousand  injunctions  of  the  scho'ols. 

They  had  forgotten  what  the  Old  Testament  taught  of  the  love 
of  God  toward  men,  and  of  the  love  due  by  man  to  his  fellow. 
They  remembered  that  they  had  been  commanded  to  show  no 
favour  to  the  sunken  nations  of  Canaan,  but  they  forgot  that  they 
had  not  been  told  to  hate  them.     The  Law  had  said,   ''Thou 


112      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself;  "  but  their  neighbour,  they 
assumed,  meant  only  a  Jew  or  a  proselyte,  and  they  had  added 
that  they  should  "  hate  their  enemies." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  72, 

So  Jesus  "Worked  Away  for  Nearly  Twenty  Years 

So  Jesus  worked  away  for  nearly  twenty  years,  and  it  looked 
as  if  he  would  work  on  so  as  loug  as  he  lived. 

Did  he  get  impatient  now  ?  When  he  was  twenty  years  old, 
when  he  was  twenty-five,  did  he  become  restless  for  other  cities 
and  foreign  lands  ?  Those  years  between  twenty  and  thirty,  those 
fiery,  tireless  years— we  think  them  the  most  precious  in  life. 
This  future  king  spent  them  in  a  dingy  shop  in  that  little  hamlet 
in  Nowhere.  Once  a  year  there  was  a  precious  week  at  the 
festival  in  Jerusalem. 

Then  the  fog  of  gray,  dull  duty  shut  down  about  him  again 
and  he  was  lost  from  sight. 

Always  busy,  never  in  a  hurry — that  was  Jesus'  way.  He  did 
not  begin  his  work  until  he  was  ready.  He  never  hurried,  no 
matter  who  summoned  him.  But  when  his  work  was  over,  he 
was  able  to  say  of  it,  "I  have  finished  the  work  Thou  gavest  me 
to  do." 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  57. 

Wonderful  That  He  Could  "Wait  So  Long 
Christ,  our  blessed  Saviour,  forebore  to  preach  and  teach  until 
the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age,  neither  would  he  openly  be  heard  ; 
no,  though  he  beheld  and  heard  so  many  impieties,  abominable 
idolatries,  heresies,  blasphemings  of  God,  etc.  It  was  a  wonder- 
ful thing  he  could  abstain,  and  with  patience  endure  them,  until 
the  time  came  that  he  was  to  appear  in  his  oifice  of  preaching. 

The    Table    Talk  of  Martin  Luther,  Translated    and    Edited    by   William 
Hazlitt,  Esq.,  p.  106. 

Master  of  Three  Languages 

It  is  easy  to  understand  with  what  fervent  enthusiasm  He 
would  devote  Himself  to  the  Old  Testament ;  and  His  sayings, 
which  are  full  of  quotations  from  it,  afford  abundant  proof  of 
how  constantly  it  formed  the  food  of  His  mind  and  the  comfort 
of  His  soul. 

His  youthful  study  of  it  was  the  secret  of  the  marvelous  facility 


WORKING  AT  HIS  TRADE  113 

with  which  He  made  use  of  it  afterwards  in  order  to  enrich  His 
preachiug  aud  enforce  His  doctrine,  to  repel  the  assaults  of  op- 
ponents and  overcome  the  temptations  of  the  Evil  One.  His 
quotations  also  show  that  He  read  it  in  the  original  Hebrew,  and 
not  in  the  Greek  translation,  which  was  then  in  general  use. 
The  Hebrew  was  a  dead  language  eveu  in  Palestine,  just  as  Latin 
now  is  in  Italy  ;  but  He  would  naturally  long  to  read  it  in  the 
very  words  in  which  it  was  written. 

Those  who  have  not  enjoyed  a  liberal  education,  but  amidst 
many  difficulties  have  mastered  Greek  in  order  to  read  the  New 
Testament  in  the  original,  will  perha^js  best  understand  how,  in  a 
country  village,  He  made  Himself  master  of  the  ancient  tongue, 
and  with  what  delight  He  was  wont,  in  the  rolls  of  the  synagogue, 
or  in  such  manuscripts  as  He  may  have  Himself  possessed,  to  pore 
over  the  sacred  page. 

The  language  in  which  He  thought  and  spoke  familiarly  was 
Aramaic,  a  branch  of  the  same  stem  to  which  Hebrew  be- 
longs. .  .  .  Thus  He  was  probably  master  of  three  languages 
— one  of  them  the  grand  religious  language  of  the  world,  in  whose 
literature  He  was  deeply  versed  ;  another,  the  most  perfect  means 
of  expressing  secular  thought  which  has  ever  existed,  although 
there  is  no  evidence  that  He  had  any  acquaintance  with  the 
masterpieces  of  Greek  literature  ;  and  the  third,  the  language  of 
the  common  people,  to  whom  His  preaching  was  to  be  specially 
addressed. 

7'he  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  21. 

**If  We  Repented  but  One  Day!** 
The  nation  was  daily  expecting  the  appearance  of  "the  wise 
aud  perfect  prophet  "  who  should  bring  back  the  lost  Urim  aud 
Thummim,  "restore  the  tribes  of  Israel,  turn  the  hearts  of  the 
fathers  to  the  children,  reprove  the  times,  and  appease  the  wrath 
of  God,  before  it  broke  out  in  fury." 

Since  Ezra's  days  the  feeling  had  grown  even  deeper,  that 
repentance  alone  could  save  Israel.  "If  we  repented  but  one 
day,"  said  the  rabbis,  "the  Messiah  would  appear."  He  was  to 
lead  all  men  back  to  God  by  repentance.  "As  long  as  Israel 
does  not  repent,  it  cannot  expect  the  Saviour,"  said  Rabbi  Juda. 
But  this  repentance  would  not  happen  till  Elijah  had  come,  in 


114      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

fulfilment  of  the  prediction  of  Malachi,  and  he  was  not  to  do  so 
till  three  days  before  the  appearance  of  the  Messiah,  when  his 
voice  would  proclaim  from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other — 
"  Salvation  cometh  into  the  world." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuingham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  372. 

News  of  a  Hermit  Like  Elijah 

One  day  a  man  stopped  at  Jesus'  door  who  had  just  come  up 
from  the  capital.  He  brought  great  news.  The  whole  family  of 
Jesus  gathered  to  hear  it,  and  their  neighbors  joined  them. 

"  The  prophet  has  come  !  "  was  his  message. 

Some  believed  that  their  deliverer  was  going  to  be  another  father 
of  his  country  like  Moses.  Others  thought  he  would  be  a  fear- 
less orator  like  Elijah. 

"Who  is  he"?" 

"  He  wears  a  hair  cloak  and  a  leather  girdle  ;  he  came  from  the 
desert  and  his  food  is  rock  honey  and " 

"  It  is  our  Elijah  !"  the  people  said  excitedly.     .     .     . 

"  Are  there  many  with  him?  " 

"  Multitudes.     All  the  people  are  hurrying  to  him." 

There  was  at  once  great  excitement  at  Nazareth.  Many  be- 
lieved that  this  was  the  call  to  a  revolution.  Some  were  sure 
that,  in  answer  to  their  hopes,  the  Messiah  was  getting  ready  to 
ride  as  a  conqueror  from  the  Jordan  up  the  road  that  leads  over 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  thence  appear  suddenly  in  the  city  and 
the  temple.     .     .     . 

And  that  very  evening  a  considerable  number  of  young  men,  a 
few  of  them  armed,  went  southward  by  the  valley  road  down  the 
Jordan.     .     .     . 

The  Jordan  plunges  from  the  mountains  down  into  the  steepest 
hollow  in  the  earth's  surface.  It  rushes  from  its  green  shrubbery 
into  the  awful  Dead  Sea,  where  bare  and  frowning  mountain  peaks 
rise  from  its  broad  valley  like  tomb  walls  for  a  giant's  sepulchre. 

Here,  where  the  first  Elijah  had  left  the  earth  the  second  Elijah 
appeared. 

A  day  or  two  later  Jesus  quietly  laid  away  his  tools,  took  off 
his  workman's  apron,  said  good-bye  to  his  mother  and  his 
brothers,  and  went  alone  to  the  Jordan  valley. 

The  Boys^  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  58. 


VIII 
THE  VOICE,  THE  BAPTISM,  THE  TEMPTATION 

The  voice  said,  Cry, 
What  shall  I  cry  ? 

— Isaiah  xl,  6.     Authorised  Version. 

Preaching  in  the  Wilderness  of  Jodea 
Now  iu  the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tiberius  Csesar, 
Pontius  Pilate  being  governor  of  Judea,  and  Herod  being 
tetrarch  of  Galilee,  and  his  brother  Philip  tetrarch  of  the  region 
of  Iturea  and  Trachonitis,  and  Lysauias  tetrarch  of  Abilene,  in 
the  high  priesthood  of  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  the  word  of  God 
came  unto  John  the  son  of  Zacharias  iu  the  wilderness.  Aud  he 
came  into  all  the  region  round  about  the  Jordan,  preaching  the 
baptism  of  repentance  unto  remission  of  sins ;  as  it  is  written  iu 
the  book  of  the  words  of  Isaiah  the  prophet, 

The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 

Make  ye  ready  the  way  of  the  Lord, 

Make  his  paths  straight. 

Every  valley  shall  be  filled, 

Aud  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  brought  low  ; 

And  the  crooked  shall  become  straight, 

And  the  rough  ways  smooth  ; 

And  all  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God. 

He  said  therefore  to  the  multitudes  that  went  out  to  be  baptized 
of  him,  Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  who  warned  you  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come  ?  Bring  forth  therefore  fruits  worthy  of  repentance, 
aud  begin  not  to  say  within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to 
our  father  :  for  I  say  unto  you,  that  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to 
raise  up  children  unto  Abraham.  And  even  now  the  axe  also 
lieth  at  the  root  of  the  trees  :  every  tree  therefore  that  bringeth 
not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.  And 
the  multitudes  asked  him,  saying.  What  then  must  we  do  ?  And 
he  answered  and  said  unto  them.  He  that  has  two  coats,  let  him 
impart  to  him  that  hath  none  ;  and  he  that  hath  food,  let  him  do 

115 


116      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

likewise.  Aud  there  came  also  publicans  to  b©  baptized,  and 
they  said  to  him,  Teacher,  what  must  we  do  ?  Aud  he  said  to 
them,  Extort  no  more  than  that  which  is  appointed  you.  And 
soldiers  also  asked  him,  saying,  And  we,  what  must  we  do  ?  Aud 
he  said  uuto  them,  Extort  from  no  man  by  violence,  neither  accuse 
any  one  wrongfully  ;  and  be  content  with  your  wages. 
Luke  iii.  1-14.    American  Revision. 

John's  Heart  Was  Sad  and  Drove  Him  forth  from  Men 
John's  dress  was  in  keeping  with  the  austerity  of  his  life.  A 
burnouse  of  rough,  rudely  woven  cloth  of  coarse  camels'  hair, 
such  as  the  Bedouin  still  wear,  bound  round  his  body  by  the 
common  leathern  girdle  still  in  use  among  the  very  poor,  was 
apparently  his  only  clothing.  His  head-dress,  if  he  had  any, 
was  the  triangular  head-cloth,  kept  in  its  place  by  a  cord,  as  is 
still  the  custom  among  the  Arabs,  aud  his  feet  were  shod  with 
eoarae  sandals. 

In  Hebron  he  had  had  around  him  all  that  could  make  life 
pleasant — a  saintly  home,  loving  pareuts,  social  consideration, 
modest  comforts,  and  an  easy  outlook  for  the  future.  But  the 
burden  of  his  life  had  weighed  heavily  on  him,  and  his  heart  was 
sad,  aud  drove  him  forth  from  men.  The  enemies  of  his  people 
were  strong,  and  the  haud  of  them  that  hated  them  lay  sore  upon 
them.  The  cry  of  the  faithful  in  the  land  rose  to  God,  that  He 
would  remember  His  holy  covenant  and  deliver  them.  They 
sighed  to  be  free  from  the  presence  of  the  heathen,  that,  once 
more  under  God  as  their  only  king,  with  their  country  to  them- 
selves, they  might  serve  Him  without  feai',  in  the  homage  of  the 
Temple,  and  the  rites  of  the  Law. 

Israel  had  long  sat  in  darkness,  with  no  break  of  light  from 
heaven.  The  promises  seemed  to  tarry.  The  godly  sighed  to 
have  their  feet  guided  into  the  ways  of  peace,  but  no  Messiah 
had  appeared  to  lead  them. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  355. 

The  **  Old  Ironsides  **  of  the  New  Testament 
As  to  the  Baptist,  his  name  calls  up  a  picture  of  vehemency — 
a  fiery  reformer,  a  staunch  protester,   the  Old  Ironsides  of  the 
New  Testament.     He  belouged  so  decidedly  to  the  [common 


THE  VOICE,  THE  BAPTISM,  THE  TEMPTATION  117 

people]  that  his  very  clothes  and  food  were  remarked — raiment 
of  coarse  camel's  wool,  with  a  crudely  tanned  skin  about  his  loins 
for  a  girdle,  and  his  food  dried  locusts  ground  into  a  powder  and 
mixed  with  honey  which  he  gathered  from  the  rocks  and  trees. 

Some  of  the  privileged  class  came  to  hear  him — Pharisees  who 
stood  for  a  criminal  quietism,  Sadducees  who  stood  openly  for 
acquiescence  with  the  Eoman  invader,  and  both  lined  up  against 
the  toiling  masses.  John  to  their  faces  called  them  a  "  genera- 
tion of  vipers."  It  seems  that  John's  extremity  of  utterance  and 
his  even,  for  that  day,  crude  garb  and  pauper  diet,  caused  criti- 
cism. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  58. 

An  Appeal  from  Ritual  to  Conscience 

This  growing  excitement  in  all  the  region  around  the  Jordan 
sent  its  fiery  wave  to  Jerusalem.  The  Temple,  with  its  keen 
priestly  watchers,  heard  that  voice  in  the  wilderness,  repeating 
day  by  day,  with  awful  emphasis,  "Prepare,  prepare  !  the  Lord 
is  at  hand  !  "  With  all  the  airs  of  arrogant  authority  came  down 
from  the  Sanhedriu  priestly  questioners.  It  is  an  early  instance 
of  the  examination  of  a  young  man  for  license  to  preach. 

"Who  art  thou?" 

"  I  am  not  the  Christ." 

"  What  then,  art  thou  Elias  "  [Elijah]  ? 

"  I  am  not." 

'•  Art  thou  that  prophet  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Who  art  thou,  that  we  may  give  an  answer  to  them  that  sent 
us  ?    What  sayest  thou  of  thyself  ? ' ' 

"I  am  the  VOICE  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Make 
straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as  said  the  prophet  Esaias" 
[Isaiah]. 

"  Why  baptizest  thou  then,  if  thou  be  not  that  Christ,  nor 
Elias,  neither  that  prophet?" 

"I  baptize  with  water.  But  there  standeth  one  among  you 
whom  ye  know  not.  He  it  is,  that,  coming  after  me,  is  pre- 
ferred before  me,  whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  un- 
loose. " 

There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  effect  of  John's  replies  upon  the 


118      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

council  at  Jerusalem.  It  was  simply  a  deuial  of  their  authority. 
It  was  au  appeal  from  Ritual  to  Couscieuce.  He  came  home  to 
men  with  direct  aud  personal  appeal,  and  refused  the  old  forms 
and  sacred  channels  of  instruction  ;  aud  when  asked  by  the 
proper  authorities  for  his  credentials,  he  gave  his  name,  A  Voice 
in  the  Wilderness,  as  if  he  owed  no  obligation  to  Jerusalem,  but 
ouly  to  nature  aud  to  God. 

The  Life  of  Je^m  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol,  I,  p.  102. 

How  Best  the  Mighty  Work  He  Might  Begin 

Meanwhile  the  Son  of  God,  who  yet  some  days 
Lodged  in  Bethabara,  where  John  baptized, 
Musing,  and  much  revolving  in  his  breast, 
How  best  the  mighty  work  he  might  begin 
Of  Saviour  to  mankind. 
The  Poetical  Works  of  John  Milton,  Vol.  II.    Paradise  Regained,  Book  I,  p.  15. 

Like  a  Timid  Child 

When  He  first  came  to  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  the  great  fore- 
runner, according  to  his  own  emphatic  and  twice  repeated  testi- 
mouy,  "knew  Him  not."  Aud  yet,  though  Jesus  was  not  yet 
revealed  as  the  Messiah  to  His  great  herald-prophet,  there  was 
something  iu  His  look,  something  in  the  sinless  beauty  of  His 
ways,  something  in  the  solemn  majesty  of  His  aspect,  which  at 
once  overawed  and  captivated  the  soul  of  John.  To  others  he 
was  the  stern  prophet ;  kings  he  could  confront  with  rebuke ; 
Pharisees  he  could  unmask  with  indignation  ;  but  before  this 
Presence  all  his  lofty  bearing  falls. 

As  when  some  unknown  dread  checks  the  flight  of  an  eagle, 
and  makes  him  settle  with  hushed  scream  and  drooping  ijlumage 
on  the  ground,  so  before  "  the  royalty  of  inward  happiness,"  be- 
fore the  purity  of  sinless  life,  the  wild  prophet  of  the  desert  be- 
comes like  a  submissive  and  timid  child. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  115. 

**  This  Is  My  Son,  My  Beloved  !  ** 
Theu  comes  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  the  Jordan  to  John,  to  be 

baptized  of  him. 

But  John  would  have  hindered  him,  saying,  I  have  need  to  be 

baptized  of  thee,  and  comest  tliou  to  me? 


THP:  voice,  the  baptism,  the  temptation   119 

But  Jesus  answering  said  to  him,  Suffer  it  now  :  for  thus  it 
becomes  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness. 

Then  he  suffered  him. 

And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went  up  straightway  from 
the  water  :  and  lo,  the  heavens  were  opened,  and  he  saw  the 
Spirit  of  God  descending  as  a  dove,  and  coming  uijou  him  ;  and 
lo,  a  voice  out  of  the  heavens,  saying.  This  is  my  Sou,  my  be- 
loved, in  whom  I  am  well  pleased. 

3Iaithew  iii,  13-17.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Son  of  Elisabeth  and  the  Son  of  Mary 
They  went  down  together,  the  son  of  Elisabeth  and  the  son  of 
Mary,  John  and  Jesus,  into  the  old  river  Jordan,  that  neither 
hastened  nor  slackened  its  current  at  their  coming ;  for  the 
Messianic  sign  was  not  to  be  from  the  waters  beneath,  but  from 
the  heavens  above. 

Hitherto  the  Jordan  had  been  sacred  to  the  patriotic  Jew  from 
its  intimate  connection  with  many  of  the  most  remarkable  events 
in  the  historj^  of  the  commonwealth  and  of  the  kingdom.  An- 
other Jesus  [Joshua]  had  once  conveyed  the  people  from  their 
wanderings  across  this  river  dry  shod.  The  Jordan  had  separated 
David  and  his  pursuers  when  the  king  fled  from  his  usurping  sou. 
Elijah  smote  it  to  let  him  and  Elisha  go  over,  and  ere  long  Elisha 
returned  alone.  The  Jordan  was  a  long  silvery  thread,  on  which 
were  strung  national  memories  through  many  hundred  years. 
But  all  these  histories  were  outshone  by  the  new  occurrence.  lu 
all  Christendom  to-day  the  Jordan  means  Christ's  baptism. 

Profoundly  significant  as  was  this  event,  the  first  outward  step 
by  which  Jesus  entered  upon  his  ministry,  it  was  followed  by  an- 
other still  more  striking  and  far  more  important.  Jesus  ascended 
from  the  Jordan  looking  up  and  praying.  As  he  gazed,  the  sky 
was  cleft  open,  and  a  beam  of  light  flashed  forth,  and,  alighting 
upon  him,  seemed  in  bodily  shape  like  a  dove.  Instantly  a  voice 
spake  from  out  of  heaven,  "This  is  my  beloved  Sou,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased." 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Vol.  I,  p.  105. 

His  Perfect  Manhood  Forbids  Doubt 
John  resisted  no  longer,  and  leading  Jesus  into  the  stream,  the 
rite  was  performed.     Can  we  question  that  such  an  act  was  a 


120      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

crisis  in  the  life  of  our  Lord  ?  His  perfect  manhood,  like  that 
of  other  men,  in  all  things,  except  sin,  forbids  our  doubting  it. 
Holy  and  pure  before  sinking  under  the  waters,  He  must  yet 
have  risen  from  them  with  the  light  of  a  higher  glory  in  His 
countenance. 

His  past  life  was  closed  ;  a  new  era  had  opened.  Hitherto  the 
humble  villager,  veiled  from  the  world.  He  was  henceforth  the 
Messiah,  openly  working  amongst  men.  It  was  the  true  moment 
of  His  entrance  on  a  new  life.  Past  years  had  been  buried  in 
the  waters  of  Jordan.  He  entered  them  as  Jesus,  the  Son  of 
Man  ;  He  rose  from  them,  the  Christ  of  God. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cnnningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  392. 

"The  Carpenter  of  Nazareth  !  ** 

All  the  people  were  hushed  in  silence  as  the  young  man  turned 
to  come  out  of  the  water.  Were  they  now  to  behold  their 
Messiah  % 

The  Galileans  were  dumb  with  amazement. 

It  was  the  carpenter  of  Nazareth  ! 

Certain  at  last  that  he  could  become  the  Deliverer  toward  whom 
the  centuries  were  pointing,  Jesus  had  come  among  his  people  to 
give  his  whole  life  to  his  Father's  work. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  64. 

'*Get  Thee  Hence,  Satan!*' 

Then  Jesus,  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  returned  from  the  Jordan, 
was  led  up  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness  during  forty  days, 
being  tempted  of  the  devil.  And  he  did  eat  nothing  in  those 
days  :  and  when  they  were  completed,  he  hungered. 

And  the  devil  said  to  him.  If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  com- 
mand this  stone  that  it  become  a  loaf.  And  Jesus  answered  him, 
It  is  written,  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone.  And  he  led 
him  up,  and  showed  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  inhabited  earth 
in  a  moment  of  time. 

And  the  devil  said  to  him,  To  thee  will  I  give  all  this  author- 
ity, and  the  glory  of  them  :  for  it  hath  been  delivered  to  me  ;  and 
to  whomsoever  I  will  I  give  it.  If  thou  therefore  wilt  worship 
before  me,  it  shall  all  be  thine. 


THE  VOICE,  THE  BAPTISM,  THE  TEMPTATION   121 

Aud  Jesus  auswerod  aud  said  to  him,  It  is  writteD,  Thou  sbalt 
worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  aud  him  only  shalt  thou  serve. 

Aud  he  led  him  to  Jerusalem,  and  set  him  on  the  wiug  of  the 
temple,  aud  said  to  him,  If  thou  art  the  Sou  of  God,  cast  thyself 
down  from  hence  :  for  it  is  written, 

He  shall  give  his  augels  charge  couceruiog  thee,  to  guard  thee  : 
Lest  haply  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 

And  Jesus  answering  said  to  him,  It  is  said,  Thou  shalt  not  try 
the  Lord  thy  God. 

Luke  iv,  1-12.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

Then  said  Jesus  to  him,  Get  thee  hence,  Satan  :  for  it  is  written. 
Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou 
serve.  Then  the  devil  leaves  him ;  and  behold,  augels  came  aud 
miuistered  to  him. 

Matthew  iv.  10,  11.     Revised  Version,  etc. 

After  the  Opened  Heavens,  Hell  "Was  Opened 
The  opeuiug  word  of  this  paragraph  links  it  to  that  im- 
mediately precediug.  "Then,"  after  the  opened  heavens,  hell 
was  opened.  The  King  must  not  only  be  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  order  and  beauty  and  intention  of  the  heavens.  He 
must  face  all  the  disorder  and  ugliness  and  intention  of  the  abyss. 
Goodness  at  its  highest  He  knows,  and  is.  Evil  at  its  lowest  He 
must  face,  aud  overcome.  And  so  in  the  wilderness  He  is  seen 
standing  as  humauity's  representative  between  the  two,  respond- 
ing to  the  one  aud  refusing  the  other. 

The  Analyzed  Bible,   Rev.    G.    Campbell    Morgan,    D.  D.,    Tlie  Gospel  Ac- 
cording to  Matthew,  p.  45. 

By  Divine  Compulsion 
Intrusting  Himself  to  .  divine  compulsion  the  Lord  went  up 
into  the  desert.  By  this  name  all  the  traditions  understand  a 
certain  hill  to  the  west  of  Jericho,  which  now  bears  the  name  of 
the  Fortieth  (Quarantine),  in  memory  of  the  fasting  of  Jesus, 
rising  above  the  Fountain  of  Eliseus  [Elisha],  its  sides  all  honey- 
combed with  caves.  Loug  ago,  whole  communities  of  hermits 
dwelt  there,  anxious  to  lead  their  solitary  life  in  imitation  of 
their  Eedeemer,  in  the  very  spot  where  He  consecrated,  by  His 
example,  the  way  of  abstinence  and  prayer. 


122      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

But  no  monastic  discipline  ever  equaled  in  austerity  the 
penance  done  by  Jesus  ;  for  it  was  in  the  midst  of  winter  that  He 
buried  Himself  in  that  retreat — at  a  time  when  the  wilderness  is 
more  desolate  than  ever,— the  very  skies  are  pitiless,  and  the 
trees  are  bare  of  fruit,  and  stripped  of  their  leafy  screens.  Here 
He  abode  in  an  entire  solitude,  "alone  with  the  wild  beasts," 
surrounded  by  lions  and  leopards,  which  lurk  in  the  thickets  of 
the  Jordan,  amid  the  jackals  whose  mournful  howling  is  still 
heard  aloug  the  mountains.  And  they  harmed  Him  not ;  for  the 
creatures  are  but  armed  against  a  sinful  race,  and  the  holiness 
of  Jesus  held  absolute  sway  over  their  savage  natures. 
The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abbe  Constant  Fouard.  Vol.  I,  p.  120. 

Laughter  as  of  Fiends  among  the  Caverned  Rocks 
The  vision  which  allures  the  eye  in  Nazareth  is  of  the  tall 
Workman,  making  ox-yokes  in  contented  labor,  the  Son  on  whose 
arm  the  widowed  mother  leans,  on  whose  knees  the  little  children 
climb.  The  most  familiar  path  of  Nature  He  has  trod  is  the 
stony  track  leading  to  the  wide  plateau  above  the  little  town, 
from  which  He  has  seen  at  sunset  Carmel  flushed  with  rose,  and 
the  Jordan  valley  deep  in  purple  shadow,  and  far  away  to  north- 
ward the  azure  of  the  sea.  And  now,  all  at  once.  He  is  confronted 
with  a  new  Nature,  which  seems  no  more  benevolent  and  joyous, 
but  evil  and  malignant.  These  scarred  and  frowning  rocks,  this 
bloomless  waste,  this  gloomy  illimitable  plain,  compose  a  fitting 
theatre  for  diabolic  energies. 

Night  falls  upon  the  scene,  and  the  darkness  overwhelms  the 
spirit.  The  cry  of  the  wind  or  of  the  wild  beast  thrills  the 
nerves.  The  silence  is  itself  a  horror.  The  stars  alone  shine 
fiimiliar  ;  elsewhere  there  is  neither  sight  nor  sound  that  is  not 
fearful  and  detestable.  Hunger  gives  a  new  sharpness  to  all 
mental  and  physical  sensations.  Stirrings  of  the  air,  scarce 
noticeable  by  the  normal  sense,  fall  upon  the  spirit  like  a  blow. 
There  are  buffeting  hands  that  leap  from  the  mantle  of  the  dark- 
ness, and  the  laughter  as  of  fiends  among  the  caverned  rocks. 
The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  50. 

**He  Did  Eat  Nothing'' 
And  He  was  in  the  wilderness  forty  days.     The  number  occurs 
again  and  again  in  Scrii)ture,  and  always  in  connection  with  the 


THE  VOICE,  THE  BAPTISM,  THE  TEMPTATION    123 

facts  of  temptation  or  retribution.  It  is  clearly  a  sacred  and 
representative  number,  and  independently  of  other  associations, 
it  was  for  forty  days  that  Moses  had  stayed  on  Sinai,  and  Elijah 
in  the  wilderness. 

In  moments  of  intense  excitement  and  overwhelmiug  thought 
the  ordinary  needs  of  the  body  seem  to  be  modified,  or  even  for 
a  time  superseded ;  and  unless  we  are  to  understand  St.  Luke's 
words,  "he  did  eat  nothing,"  as  being  absolutely  literal,  we 
might  suppose  that  Jesus  found  all  that  was  necessary  for  His 
bare  sustenance  in  such  scant  fruits  as  the  desert  might  afford  ; 
but  however  that  may  be — and  it  is  a  question  of  little  impor- 
tance— at  the  end  of  the  time  He  hungered. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  121. 

The  Three  Temptations 

Both  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Luke  give  a  detailed  account  of  the 
Temptation  ;  St.  Mark  contents  himself  with  a  single  sentence, 
and  St.  Johu  passes  over  it  altogether.  Obviously  what  Jesus 
endured  in  those  forty  days  and  nights  must  have  been  related  by 
His  own  lips,  for  there  was  no  spectator  of  His  struggles.  Be- 
neath the  highly  pictorial  account  afforded  us  by  the  Evangelists 
there  is  a  firmly  outlined  ethical  basis.  The  first  temptation  is  a 
temptation  of  the  tiesh,  but  entirely  free  from  the  grossuess  which 
in  mediaeval  history  disfigures  such  temptations.  It  is  the  natural 
and  relatively  innocent  temi3tation  to  break  the  vow  of  abstinence 
by  creating  bread  to  satisfy  the  fleshly  hunger.  Christ's  reply  is 
remarkable  as  an  assertion  of  the  right  of  the  spirit  to  control  the 
body  :  "Man  liveth  not  by  bread  alone  but  by  every  word  that 
proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God" — a  familiar  quotation,  from 
the  writings  of  Moses. 

The  second  temptation,  taking  the  order  of  St.  Matthew,  which 
here  differs  from  that  observed  by  St.  Luke,  is  a  temptation  to 
the  selfish  use  of  miraculous  power  or  the  abuse  of  faith.  God 
has  promised  that  the  angels  shall  have  charge  -over  the  man  who 
trusteth  in  Him  ;  why  not  put  the  promise  to  the  test  by  the 
suicidal  folly  of  leaping  from  a  pinnacle  of  the  Temple  ?  There 
is  something  at  once  childish  and  cynical  in  this  suggestion,  un- 
less indeed  it  be  meant  to  imply  that  derangement  of  reason 
which  struggles  with  the  gloomy  horror  of  suicide.     The  reply 


124      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

of  Christ  again  breathes  the  spirit  of  a  temperate  wisdom  :  "Thou 
Shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God." 

The  third  temptation  is  more  intelligible  ;  it  is  to  snatch  at 
power  by  the  sacrifice  of  conscience.  The  kingdoms  of  the  world 
may  be  gained  by  obeisance  to  the  Spirit  of  Evil.  This  is  the 
familiar  temptation  of  a  Faustus,  immortalized  in  the  great  drama 
of  Marlowe  and  in  the  greater  poem  of  Goethe.  But  it  is  a  seduc- 
tion that  has  no  potency  for  the  pious  idealist.  "Thou  shalt 
worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  Him  only  shalt  thou  serve,"  is 
the  reply  of  Christ.  The  story  concludes  with  the  striking  saying 
that  after  the  third  temptation  the  devil  left  Him,  and  angels 
came  and  ministered  unto  Him. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  52. 

Meeting  His  Proposals  by  Fitting  Answers 
I  praise  and  highly  exalt  Thee  for  ever,  for  Thy  mighty  con- 
flict with  the  devil  ;  for  the  many  vexations  of  tlie  wicked 
tempter ;  for  the  scorn  of  all  his  evil  suggestious ;  for  meeting 
his  proposals  by  fittiug  answers  taken  from  the  Word  of  God  ; 
and  for  the  glorious  victory  over  the  three  great  vices,  achieved 
by  Thee  ;  to  the  perpetual  confusion  of  Satan,  and  the  strength- 
ening of  our  infirmity. 

Meditations  on  the  Life  of  Christ,  Thomas  a  Kempis,  p,  42. 

Satan  Invisible,  as  When  He  Tempts  Us 
It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  an  outward  and  bodily  pres- 
ence of  the  arch-enemy.  He  is  never  spoken  of  as  visible,  except 
when  Jesus  saw  him  fall,  as  lightning,  from  heaven.  He  is  in- 
visible when  he  tempts  us,  which  we  know  he  does,  for  he  de- 
ceives the  whole  world,  and  there  is  no  need  to  suppose  that  he 
was  present  otherwise  with  our  Lord,  than  by  raising  suggestions 
in  His  sinless  mind.  To  act  upon  the  thoughts  may  have  been 
the  mode  of  Satan's  attack,  with  Christ  as  with  ourselves. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuiugbam  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  420. 

Christ's  Temptation  as  Unique  as  Christ's  Character 
The  story  of  Christ's  temptation  is  as  unique  as  Christ's  char- 
acter.    It  is  such  a  temptation  as  was  never  experienced  by  any 
one  else,  yet  just  such  a  temptation  as  Christ,  and  Christ  in  those 


Cornicelius 


THE    UNSEEN   TEMPTER 


THE  VOICE,  THE  BAPTISM,  THE  TEMPTATION   125 

peculiar  circumstauces,  might  be  expected  to  experience.  And 
further,  this  appropriateness  of  all  the  circumstances  hardly 
seems  to  bo  perceived  by  the  Evangelists  themselves  who  narrate 
them.  Their  narrative  is  not  like  a  poem,  though  it  aflbrds  the 
materials  for  a  poem  ;  it  is  rather  a  dry  chronicle. 

Ecee   Homo :    A    Survey  of  the   Life  and   Woik  of  Jesvs   Christ,  John  R, 
Seeley,  p.  17. 

Was  He  Capable  of  Sinning  ? 
The  question  as  to  whether  Christ  was  or  was  not  capahle  of  sin 
— to  express  it  in  the  language  of  that  scholastic  and  theological 
region  in  which  it  originated,  the  question  as  to  the  [ability  or 
inability  to  sin]  of  His  human  nature — is  one  which  would  never 
occur  to  a  simple  and  reverent  mind.  We  believe  and  know  that 
our  blessed  Lord  was  sinless — the  Lamb  of  God,  without  blemish, 
and  without  spot.  What  can  be  the  possible  edification  or  ad- 
vantage in  the  discussion  as  to  whether  this  sinlessness  sprang 
from  [the  power  not  to  sin  or  without  power  to  sin]  %  Some,  in 
a  zeal  at  once  intemperate  and  ignorant,  have  claimed  for  Him 
not  only  an  actual  sinlessness,  but  a  nature  to  which  sin  was 
divinely  and  miraculously  impossible.  What  then  ?  If  His 
great  conflict  were  a  mere  deceptive  [medley  of  shadows]  how 
can  the  narrative  of  it  profit  us?  If  we  have  to  fight  the  battle 
clad  in  that  armor  of  human  free-will  which  has  been  hacked  and 
riven  about  the  bosom  of  our  fathers  by  so  many  a  cruel  blow, 
what  comfort  is  it  to  us  if  our  great  Captain  fought  not  only 
victoriously,  but  without  real  danger ;  not  only  uninjured,  but 
without  even  a  possibility  of  wound?  Where  is  the  warrior's 
courage,  if  he  knows  that  for  him  there  is  but  the  semblance  of  a 
battle  against  the  [unreal  likeness]  of  a  foe  ?  Are  we  not  thus, 
under  an  appearance  of  devotion,  robbed  of  One  who,  ' '  though 
He  were  a  son,  yet  learned  obedience  by  the  things  which  He 
suffered  ?  " 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W,  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R,  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  123. 

The  Instant  Choice 
Through  life,  as  in  the  wilderness,  His  choice  was  instinctive 
and  instantaneous,  between  God  and  sin.     Good  and  evil  were,  to 
Him,  light  and  darkness,  and  it  was  vain  to  tempt  Him,  even  to 


126      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

approach  the  cloudy,  doubtful,  dividiug  liue.  The  desert  had 
served  its  purpose.  The  crisis  had  jjassed.  Yielding  Himself 
iuto  the  hauds  of  God,  it  was  exchanged  for  the  joys  of  augel 
miuistratiou. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  426. 

Never  Deviated  a  HairVBreadth 
Although  the  tempter  only  dejiarted  from  Jesus  for  a  season, 
this  was  a  decisive  struggle ;  he  was  thoroughly  beaten  back,  and 
his  power  broken  at  its  heart.  Milton  has  indicated  this  by 
finishing  his  Paradise  Regained  at  this  point.  Jesus  emerged 
from  the  wilderness  with  the  plan  of  His  life,  which,  no  doubt, 
had  been  formed  long  before,  hardened  in  the  fire  of  trial. 

Nothing  is  more  conspicuous  in  His  after-life  than  the  resolu- 
tion with  which  He  carried  it  out.  Other  men,  even  those  who 
have  accomplished  the  greatest  tasks,  have  sometimes  had  no 
definite  plan,  but  only  seen  by  degrees  in  the  evolution  of  circum- 
stances the  path  to  pursue  ;  their  purposes  have  beeu  modified 
by  events  and  the  advice  of  others. 

But  Jesus  started  with  His  plan  j)erfected,  and  never  deviated 
from  it  by  a  hair's-breadth.  He  resented  the  interference  of  His 
mother  or  His  chief  disciple  with  it  as  steadfastly  as  He  bore  it 
through  the  fiery  opposition  of  open  enemies.  And  His  plan  was 
to  establish  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  hearts  of  individuals,  and 
rely  not  on  the  weapons  of  political  and  material  strength,  but 
only  on  the  power  of  love  and  the  force  of  truth. 
The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Eev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  47. 

The  Desert  Marked  the  Parting  of  the  Ways  for  Jesos  and  John 
It  is  significant  that  His  intimacy  with  John  ajjpears  to  have 
terminated  with  the  temptation.  He  did  not  return  to  John,  nor 
does  He  seek  further  instruction  from  him  ;  the  Pupil  has  al- 
ready surpassed  His  master.  His  friendship,  His  reverence,  His 
sense  of  obligation  to  John  remained,  but  the  desert  marked  the 
parting  of  the  ways.  John's  scheme  of  life  had  many  virtues, 
but  it  was  incapable  of  general  imitation.  It  was  an  abnormal 
life,  and  the  real  redemption  of  men  must  be  wrought  through 
the  normal,  not  the  abnormal.  The  conception  of  the  prophet  as 
iuviucibly  austere,  notwithstanding  the  general   tradition  and 


THE  VOICE,  THE  BAPTISM,  THE  TEMPTATION   127 

acceplauce,  was  radically  wroug.  Asceticism,  in  so  far  as  it  im- 
posed a  general  rule  of  life,  was  both  injurious  and  insulting  to 
human  nature. 

The  true  bent  of  Christ's  nature  once  more  asserted  itself,  and 
the  pressure  of  John's  example  ceased  to  be  effective.  To  tread 
the  dusty  pathways  of  the  commonplace  in  a  lofty  spirit  of  duty  ; 
to  seek  comradeship  with  ordinary  men  and  women  ;  to  be  free, 
familiar,  kind  in  social  intercourse  ;  to  accej)t  life  as  in  itself  good 
and  capable  of  being  better  ;  to  live  as  a  man  with  men — this  was 
to  helj)  the  world  after  a  fashion  much  superior  to  John's. 

Jesus  had  been  right  after  all  in  those  simple  and  profoundly 
human  conceptions  of  life,  on  which  thirty  years  of  lowly  toil  at 
Nazareth  had  set  their  seal.  John  came  fasting  ;  it  was  the  dis- 
tinguishing mark  of  his  austerity  ;  Jesus  and  His  disciples  came 
eating  and  drinking.  John  preached  amid  the  deserts  of  Judea  ; 
Jesus  henceforth  turns  His  steps  to  the  i)leasaut  shores  of  Galilee. 
John  is  a  recluse ;  Jesus  is  the  Friend  and  Brother,  easily  ac- 
cessible, eminently  sociable.  The  break  in  practice  is  henceforth 
comi^lete  and  irreparable.  Asceticism  had  been  tried  and  found 
wanting  ;  it  has  never  since  been  revived  save  to  the  injury  of  re- 
ligion and  the  degradation  of  society. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Wilham  J.  Dawsou.  p.  55. 


IX 
THE  YOUXG  RABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING 

The  conscious  water  saw  its  God,  aud  blushed. 

— CrasJuuv. 

**  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God ! " 

On  the  morrow  be  sees  Jesus  coming  unto  him,  and  says,  Be- 
hold, the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  ! 

This  is  he  of  whom  I  said,  After  me  comes  a  man  who  is  be- 
come before  me  :  for  he  was  first  in  regard  to  me. 

And  I  knew  him  not ;  but  that  he  should  be  made  manifest  to 
Israel,  for  this  cause  came  I  baptizing  iu  water. 

And  John  bore  witness,  saying,  I  have  beheld  the  Spirit  de- 
scending as  a  dove  out  of  heaven ;  aud  it  abode  upon  him. 

Aud  I  knew  him  not :  but  he  that  sent  me  to  baptize  in  water, 
he  said  to  me.  Upon  whomever  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descend- 
ing, and  abiding  upon  him,  the  same  is  he  that  baptizes  iu  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Aud  I  have  seen,  and  have  borne  witness  that  this  is  the  Son 
of  God. 

John  i,  29-34,     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

That  Figure  Once  More  Appeared  in  View 
As  we  picture  it  to  ourselves  :  iu  the  early  morning  of  that 
Sabbath  John  stood  with  the  two  of  his  disciples  who  most  shared 
his  thoughts  and  feelings.  One  of  them  we  know  to  have  been 
Andrew  ;  the  other,  unnamed  oue,  could  have  been  no  other  than 
John  himself,  the  beloved  disciple.  They  had  heard  what  their 
teacher  had,  on  the  previous  day,  said  of  Jesus.  But  then  He 
seemed  to  them  but  as  a  passing  figure.  To  hear  more  of  Him, 
as  well  as  in  deepest  sympathy,  these  two  had  gathered  to  their 
teacher  on  that  Sabbath  morning,  while  the  other  disciples  of 
John  were  probably  engaged  with  that,  and  with  those,  which 
formed  the  surroundings  of  an  ordinary  Jewish  Sabbath.  And 
now  that  Figure  once  more  appeared  in  view.     None  with  the 

128 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING    129 

Baptist  but  these  two.  He  is  not  teaching  now,  but  learning,  as 
the  intensity  and  penetration  of  his  gaze  calls  from  him  the  new 
worshij)ful  repetition  of  what,  on  the  previous  day,  he  had  ex- 
plained and  enforced. 

There  was  no  leave-taking  on  the  part  of  these  two — perhaps 
they  meant  not  to  leave  John.  Only  an  irresistible  impulse,  a 
heavenly  iustiuct,  bade  them  follow  His  steps.  It  needed  no 
direction  of  John,  no  call  from  Jesus.  But  as  they  went  in 
modest  silence,  in  the  dawn  of  their  rising  faith,  scarce  conscious 
of  the  loliat  and  the  loliy^  He  turned  Him.  It  was  not  because  He 
discerned  it  not,  but  just  because  He  knew  the  real  goal  of  their 
yet  unconscious  search,  and  would  bring  them  to  know  what  they 
sought,  that  He  put  to  them  the  question,  "What  seek  ye?" 
which  elicited  a  reply  so  simple,  so  real,  as  to  carry  its  own  evi- 
dence. He  is  still  to  them  the  Eabbi — the  most  honoured  title 
they  can  find — yet  marking  still  the  strictly  Jewish  view,  as  well 
as  their  own  standpoint  of '■'■What  seek  ye?"  They  wish,  yet 
scarcely  dare,  to  say  what  was  their  object,  and  only  put  it  in  a 
form  most  modest,  suggestive  rather  than  expressive.  There  is 
strict  correspondence  to  their  view  in  the  words  of  Jesus.  Their 
very  Hebraism  of  "Rabbi"  is  met  by  the  equally  Hebraic 
"Come  and  see';"  their  unspoken,  but  half-conscious  longing  by 
what  the  invitation  implied  (according  to  the  most  probable 
reading  "  Come  and  ye  shall  see"). 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.    Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  345. 

**  Behold  What  Manner  of  Man !" 

It  may  be  interesting  to  add  to  these  older  ideals  that  of  a 
writer  of  the  present  day.  ' '  Our  eyes  were  restlessly  attracted 
to  Him,"  says  Delitzsch,  in  one  of  his  beautiful  stories,  "for  He 
was  the  centre  of  the  group.  He  was  not  in  soft  clothing  of 
byssus  and  silk,  like  the  courtiers  of  Tiberias  or  Jerusalem,  nor 
did  He  wear  long  trailing  robes,  like  some  of  the  Pharisees.  On 
His  head  was  a  white  keffiyeh — a  square  of  linen  doubled  so  that 
a  corner  fell  down  on  each  shoulder,  and  on  the  back  ;  a  fillet 
.  .  .  round  the  head,  keeping  it  in  place.  On  His  body  He 
wore  a  tunic,  which  reached  to  His  wrists  and  to  His  feet,  and 
over  this  a  blue  tallith,  with  the  prescribed  tassels,  of  blue  and 


130      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

white,  at  the  four  corners,  Lung  clown  so  that  the  under  garment, 
which  was  grey,  striped  with  red,  was  little  seen.  His  feet  shod 
with  sandals,  not  shoes,  were  only  visible  now  and  then,  as  He 
walked  or  moved. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  middle  size,  with  youthful  beauty,  still, 
in  His  face  and  form.  The  purity  and  charm  of  early  manhood 
blended  in  His  countenance  with  the  ripeness  of  mature  years. 
His  complexion  was  fairer  than  that  of  those  around  Him,  for 
they  had  more  of  the  bronze  color  of  their  nation.  He  seemed, 
indeed,  even  pale,  under  the  white  sudar,  for  the  ruddy  glow  of 
health,  usual  at  His  years,  was  wanting.  The  type  of  His  features 
was  hardly  Jewish,  but  rather  as  if  that  and  the  Greek  types 
blended  into  a  perfect  beauty,  which,  while  it  awakened  rever- 
ence, filled  the  heart,  still  more,  with  love.  His  eyes  looked  on 
you  with  light  which  seemed  broken  and  softened,  as  if  by  pass- 
ing through  tears.  He  stooped  a  little,  and  seemed  communing 
with  His  own  thoughts,  and  when  He  moved  there  was  no  affecta- 
tion as  with  some  of  the  rabbis,  but  a  natural  dignity  and  grace, 
like  one  who  feels  himself  a  king  though  dressed  in  lowly  robes." 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  432. 

Description  Attributed  to  Lentulus  the  Proconsul 
In  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Tiberius  Ciiesar,  Publius  Lentulus, 
Eoman  Procurator  in  Judea,  addressed  the  following  letter  to  the 
Boman  Senate : 

"  Conscript  Fathers  : 

"  There  has  appeared  in  these  days,  a  man  of  extraordinary 
virtue,  named  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  yet  living  among  us,  and  is 
accepted  by  the  people  generally  as  a  prophet,  but  is  by  some 
called  the  Son  of  God.  He  raises  the  dead,  and  cures  all  manner 
of  diseases.  He  is  a  man  tall  and  comely  of  stature,  with  a  very 
reverend  countenance,  such  as  the  beholders  look  upon  with  love 
and  fear.  His  hair  is  of  a  chestnut  colour,  and  is  plain  down  to 
his  ears  ;  but  from  thence  downward  is  more  orient  of  colour, 
waving  about  his  shoulders.  In  the  middle  of  his  head  there  is 
a  seam  or  parting  of  his  hair,  after  the  manner  of  the  Nazarites. 
His  forehead  is  very  plain  and  smooth  ;  his  fece  without  a  spot 
or  wrinkle,  beautified  with  a  comely  red.  His  mouth  and  nose 
are  so  formed  that  no  tiiult  can  be  found  with  them.  His  beard, 
somewhat  thick,  is  of  the  colour  of  his  hair,  not  of  great  length, 
but  forked  in  the  middle.     His  look  is  gentle  and  inoffensive ; 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING    131 

his  eyes  blue,  clear,  aud  quick.  lu  reproviug  be  is  severe ;  in 
admonishing,  gentle  and  courteous.  His  speech  is  pleasant,  but 
mixed  with  gravity.  It  cannot  be  remembered  that  any  have 
seen  him  laugh,  but  many  have  observed  him  to  weep.  In  the 
proportions  of  his  body  he  is  well  shaped,  aud  is  a  man  of  singular 
beauty  surpassing  the  rest  of  mankind." 

The  Life  and  Mission  of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  N.  C.  Brooks, 
Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  L.  H.  D.,  p.  3. 

*'  Most  Beautiful  to  Behold  !  ** 

'^He  was  most  beautiful  to  behold  !  His  height  reached  fully 
seven  spans,  his  hair  was  light  and  somewhat  waving,  but  his 
eyebrows  were  black  aud  arched,  his  eyes  bright  and  piercing, 
his  nose  prominent,  his  beard  yellow  aud  not  very  long.  The 
hair  of  his  head  was  long,  for  never  had  razor  come  upon  it, 
neither  the  hand  of  man  passed  over  it,  excepting  indeed  the 
hand  of  his  mother  whilst  still  a  little  child.  His  figure  was 
slightly  bent,  not  quite  erect.  His  color  was  as  the  ripened 
wheat,  his  face,  like  that  of  his  mother,  was  not  round  but  oval, 
not  very  ruddy,  and  expressive  of  gentleness  and  meekness, 
dignity  and  understanding.  He  was  the  exact  similitude  of  his 
pure  aud  stainless  mother." 

It  is  Jesus  who  is  described  by  Nicephorus  Callisti,  who,  writ- 
ing in  the  fourteenth  century,  relied,  no  doubt,  for  the  par- 
ticulars of  this  description,  on  the  testimony  of  ancient  writers. 
Oould  we  ask  him  the  names  of  his  authorities,  he  would  most 
likely  cite  John  the  Damascene,  who  flourished  in  the  eighth 
century  ;  and,  could  we  pursue  our  inquiries  to  this  source,  the 
latter  would  probably  be  honest  enough  to  coufess,  "  This  portrait 
is  but  a  worthless  aud  fauciful  product  of  the  imagination."  For, 
though  in  coins,  busts,  and  statues,  we  have  contemporary  like- 
nesses of  the  Eoman  emperors,  from  Augustus  and  Tiberius 
downwards ;  though  ou  the  walls  of  the  Egyptian  temple  of 
Karnak,  the  contemporary  of  Rehoboam,  the  sou  of  Solomon,  is 
even  yet  to  be  seen  ;  and  though  the  palace  walls  of  Korsabad 
aud  Koyunjik  still  glow  with  contemporary  representations  of 
king  Sargon  in  his  war  chariot,  and  king  Sennacherib  on  his 
throne,  yet,  so  far  are  we  from  possessing  even  a  tradition,  still 
less  a  description,  of  the  outward  appearance  of  Jesus,  that  before 
aud  after  the  days  of  Constantiue,  opinion  in  the  Church  was 


132      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

divided,  as  to  whether  we  ought  to  picture  him  to  ourselves, 
duriug  the  time  that  he  walked  amongst  men,  as  having  been  un- 
distinguished in  appearance,  or  of  ideal  beauty  ;  whilst,  in  sup- 
port of  both  these  views,  reliance  must  be  placed,  not  on  old 
traditions,  but  on  passages  from  the  Old  Testament. 

A  Critical  Comparison  between  Jesiis  and  Hillel,  Dr.  Franz  Delitzsch,  Jewish 
Artisan  Life,  p.  125. 

Andrew  Tells  His  Own  Brother  Simon 

Again  on  the  morrow  John  was  standing,  and  two  of  his  dis- 
ciples ;  and  as  he  looked  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  and  said.  Be- 
hold the  Lamb  of  God  ! 

And  the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak,  and  they  followed 
Jesus.  And  Jesus  turned,  and  beheld  them  following,  and  said 
to  them.  What  do  you  seek  ? 

And  they  said  to  him,  Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being  inter- 
preted, Teacher),  where  abidest  thou  ? 

He  said  to  them.  Come,  and  you  shall  see. 

They  came  therefore  and  saw  where  he  abode  ;  and  they  stayed 
with  him  that  day  :  it  was  about  the  tenth  hour. 

One  of  the  two  that  heard  John  speak,  and  followed  him,  was 
Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother.  He  finds  first  his  own  brother 
Simon,  and  said  unto  him,  We  have  found  the  Messiah  (which 
is,  being  interpreted.  Anointed).     He  brought  him  to  Jesus. 

Jesus  looked  upon  him,  and  said.  Thou  art  Simon  the  son  of 
John  :  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas  (which  is  by  interpretation, 
Rock). 

John  i.  35-42.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

The  First  Sunday  Morning  of  Christ's  Mission  Work 
It  was  Sunday  morning,  the  first  of  Christ's  mission  work,  the 
first  of  His  preaching.  He  was  purposing  to  return  to  Galilee. 
It  was  fitting  He  should  do  so  :  for  the  sake  of  His  new  disciples  ; 
for  what  He  was  to  do  in  Galilee  ;  for  His  own  sake.  The  first 
Jerusalem  visit  must  be  prepared  for  by  them  all ;  and  He  would 
not  go  there  till  the  right  time — for  the  paschal  feast.  It  was 
probably  a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles  from  Bethabara  to 
Cana. 
By  the  way,  two  other  disciples  were  to  be  gained — not  brought, 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING    133 

but  called,  where,  aud  iu  what  precise  circumstances,  we  know 
not.  But  the  notice  that  Philip  was  a  fellow-townsman  of  Andrew 
and  Peter,  seems  to  imply  some  instrumentality  on  their  part. 
Similarly,  we  gather  that,  afterwards,  Philip  was  somewhat  in 
advance  of  the  rest,  when  he  found  his  acquaintance  Nathanael, 
and  engaged  iu  conversation  with  him,  as  another  characteristic 
trait  of  John,  that  he,  and  his  brother  with  him,  seem  to  have 
clung  close  to  the  person  of  Christ,  just  as  did  Mary,  afterwards 
in  the  house  of  her  brother.  It  was  this  intense  exclusiveness  of 
fellowship  with  Jesus  which  traced  on  his  mind  that  fullest  pic- 
ture of  the  God-Man,  which  his  narrative  reflects. 

The    Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  348. 

Finding  Philip  and  Nathanael 

On  the  morrow  he  was  minded  to  go  forth  into  Galilee,  and  he 
finds  Philip  :  aud  Jesus  said  to  him,  Follow  me. 

Now  Philip  was  from  Bethsaida,  of  the  city  of  Andrew  aud 
Peter. 

Philip  finds  Nathanael,  and  says  to  him.  We  have  found  him, 
of  whom  Moses  in  the  law,  and  the  prophets  wrote,  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  the  sou  of  Joseph. 

Aud  Nathanael  said  to  him.  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of 
Nazareth  ? 

Philip  said  to  him.  Come  aud  see. 

Jesus  saw  Nathanael  coming  to  him,  and  said  of  him,  Behold, 
an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile  ! 

Nathanael  said  to  him,  Whence  knowest  thou  me  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  to  him.  Before  Philip  called  thee, 
when  thou  wast  under  the  fig-tree,  I  saw  thee. 

Nathanael  answered  him,  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of  God  ;  thou 
art  King  of  Israel. 

Jesus  answered  and  said  to  him.  Because  I  said  to  thee,  I  saw 
thee  underneath  the  fig-tree,  believest  thou  ?  thou  shalt  see 
greater  things  than  these. 

And  he  said  to  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  to  you,  You  shall  see 
the  heaven  opened,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descend- 
ing upon  the  Son  of  man. 

John  i.  43-51.    Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


134      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Change  of  Name  with  Change  of  Heart 

Nathanael's  name  does  not  occur  in  the  list  of  the  apostles,  but 
it  has  been  assumed  from  the  earliest  times  that  he  was  Bar- 
tholomew, who  is  always  named  next  to  Philip.  It  was  a 
Jewish  custom  to  change  the  name  when  a  public  profession  of 
religion  was  made.  "  Four  things,"  says  R  Isaac,  "have  power 
to  change  a  man's  destiny — alms,  prayer,  change  of  heart,  and 
change  of  name."  We  have  instances  of  such  change  of  name  in 
Simon,  who  is  also  indifferently  mentioned  as  Peter,  and  as  the 
son  of  Jonas,  and  in  Barnabas,  whose  proper  name  was  Joses. 
Nathanael  may  have  been  the  personal  name,  while  Bartholomew 
was  simply  an  allusion  as  the  sou  of  Talmai. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  445. 

"  Symphony  from  the  New  World  ** 

If  Jesus  presented  the  spectacle  of  a  unique  perfection,  yet 
after  all  the  constituent  elements  of  that  perfection  were  elements 
found  in  human  nature  itself.  When  a  great  musician  like 
Dvorak  writes  his  "Symphony  from  the  New  World,"  he  is  not 
ashamed  to  take  familiar  melodies,  and  even  negro  songs  as  the 
basis  of  his  music,  but  he  uses  them  with  such  breadth  and 
mastery  that  they  attain  a  dignity  altogether  unexpected.  Even 
so  Christ  used  the  common  strings  of  human  nature,  but  touched 
them  with  a  master's  hand.  Divine  as  was  the  music  which  fell 
upon  men's  ears,  yet  there  ran  through  it  familiar  notes,  the 
golden  threads  of  common  melody,  old  and  sweet  as  human  love, 
and  faith,  and  hope  themselves.  Thus  men  saw  in  Christ  them- 
selves, as  they  might  be. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  143. 

Going  Home  with  the  First  Four  Disciples 

To  begin  His  public  career  in  a  way  so  humble  and  unostenta- 
tious, was  in  strict  keeping  with  the  work  and  character  of  Christ. 
It  was  easier  for  Him  to  train  a  few,  and  gradually  raise  them  to 
the  high  standard  required  in  His  immediate  followers.  That 
His  first  adherents  were  attracted  only  by  religious  considerations, 
tended  to  guard  against  any  seeking  to  join  Him  who  were  not 


Wm.  HoU 


GOING    TO    CANA    WITH   HIS    FIRST    DISCIPLES 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING    136 

moved  to  do  so  by  a  true  spiritual  sympathy — itself  the  pledge  of 
their  fitness  for  disciples. 

To  have  drawn  around  Him  great  multitudes,  by  a  display  of 
supernatural  powers,  would  have  destroyed  all  His  plans,  for  He 
could  have  found  no  such  sympathy  iu  crowds  thus  gathered. 
Having,  therefore,  begun  with  the  lowly  band  of  four,  He  turned 
His  thoughts  once  more  towards  home,  and  set  out,  with  them, 
next  day  to  Galilee.  A  fifth  disciple  joined  Him  on  the  home- 
ward journey— Philip,  a  townsman  of  the  others.  Nothing  is 
told  of  the  circumstances,  though  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he 
had  heard  of  Jesus,  either  from  the  Baptist,  to  whom,  like  the 
others,  he  seems  to  have  gone  out ;  or  from  the  four,  as  they 
traveled  with  him  on  his  own  return.  The  simple  words  ''Fol- 
low me,"  so  often  uttered  afterwards,  were  enough  to  add  him 
to  the  little  company. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  442. 

Invited  to  a  Wedding 

And  the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana  of  Galilee  ; 
and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there  :  and  Jesus  also  was  invited, 
and  his  disciples,  to  the  marriage. 

And  when  the  wine  failed,  the  mother  of  Jesus  said  to  him, 
They  have  no  wine. 

And  Jesus  said  to  her.  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ? 
my  hour  has  not  yet  come. 

His  mother  said  to  the  servants.  Whatever  he  says  to  you, 
do  it. 

Now  there  were  six  waterpots  of  stone  set  there  after  the 
Jews'  manner  of  purifying,  containing  two  or  three  firkins 
apiece. 

Jesus  said  to  them.  Fill  the  waterpots  with  water. 

And  they  filled  them  up  to  the  brim. 

And  he  said  to  them.  Draw  out  now,  and  bear  to  the  steward 
of  the  feast. 

And  they  carried  it. 

And  when  the  ruler  of  the  feast  tasted  the  water  that  it  had 
become  wine,  and  knew  not  whence  it  was  (but  the  servants  that 
had  drawn  the  water  knew),  the  ruler  of  the  feast  called  the 
bridegroom,  and  said  to  him,  Every  man  sets  on  first  the  good 


136      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

wine  J   and  when  men  have  drunk  freely,  then  that  which  is 
worse  ;  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now. 

This  beginning  of  his  signs  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and 
manifested  his  glory  ;  and  his  disciples  believed  on  him. 
John  ii.  1-11.     Kevised,  using  Margiuals,  etc. 

Marriage  Customs 

The  bridegroom  and  bride  both  fasted  all  day  before  the  mar- 
riage, and  confessed  their  sins  in  prayer,  as  on  the  Day  of 
Atonement.  "When  the  bride  reached  the  house  of  her  future 
husband's  father,  in  which  the  wedding  was  celebrated,  the 
bridegroom  received  her,  still  veiled,  and  conducted  her  within, 
with  great  rejoicings.  Indeed,  he  generally  set  out  from  his 
father's  house  in  the  evenings  to  meet  her,  with  flute-players  or 
singers  before  him  ;  his  groomsmen,  and  others,  with  flaring 
torches  or  lamps,  escorting  him  amidst  loud  rejoicing,  which  rose 
still  higher  as  he  led  her  back.  Neighbours  througed  into  the 
streets.  Flutes  and  drums  and  shrill  cries  filled  the  air,  and  the 
procession  was  swelled  as  it  passed  on,  by  a  train  of  maidens, 
friends  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  who  had  been  waiting  for 
it.  The  Talmud  has  preserved  a  snatch  of  one  of  the  songs  sung 
by  the  bridesmaids  and  girls  as  they  danced  before  the  bride,  on 
the  way  to  the  bridegroom's  house.  In  a  free  translation  it  runs 
something  like  this : 

' '  Her  eyelids  are  not  stained  with  blue, 
Her  red  cheeks  are  her  own ; 
Her  hair  hangs  waving  as  it  grew, 
Her  grace  were  wealth,  alone  !  " 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  448. 

What  Gjst  Him  So  Dear  to  Deny 

In  order  to  show  Mary  that  He  had  ceased  to  belong  to  her  (yet 
only  that  He  might  be  entirely  at  the  will  of  His  Heavenly  Fa- 
ther), Jesus  refused  to  pay  heed  directly  to  her. 

"Woman,"  He  said  to  her,  "what  matters  it  to  you  and  to 
Me  ?    My  hour  has  not  yet  come." 

This  answer,  which  sounds  so  harshly  to  our  ears,  has  not  the 
same  meaning  in  the  Aramean  tongue.     It  is  in  frequent  use 


THE  YOUNG  EABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING    137 

among  sacred  writers,  sometimes  to  denote  a  lively  objection, 
sometimes  only  a  simple  dissent ;  both,  however,  were  in  perfect 
consonance  with  the  forms  of  highest  courtesy.  As  for  the  title 
"Woman,"  that  was,  indeed,  a  term  of  respect.  In  making  use 
of  it,  Jesus  rendered  filial  homage  to  her,  whom  He  loved  beyond 
all  other  creatures,  and  whose  prayer  it  must  cost  Him  so  dear  to 
deny. 

And,  furthermore,  we  must  needs  supply  to  this  bare  refusal 
some  words  which  John  Evangelist  either  did  not  hear,  or  at  least 
omitted  to  rei)ort ;  for  we  see  in  the  sequel  that  the  response  of 
the  Saviour,  far  from  disheartening  Mary,  gave  her  yet  fuller 
assurance. 

On  the  instant  she  gave  orders  to  the  servants  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  at  His  word  :  "  Anything  that  He  may  say  to 
you,  do  it. " 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abb6  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  144. 

**  Woman,  What  Have  I  to  Do  with  Thee?*' 
The  words  at  first  sound  harsh,  and  almost  repellent  in  their 
roughness  and  brevity  ;  but  that  is  the  fault  partly  of  our  version, 
partly  of  our  associations.  He  does  not  call  her  "mother,"  be- 
cause, in  circumstances  such  as  these,  she  was  His  mother  no 
longer  ;  but  the  address  "  Woman  "  was  so  respectful  that  it  might 
be,  and  was,  addressed  to  the  queen] iest ;  and  so  gentle  that  it 
might  be,  and  was,  addressed  at  the  tenderest  moments  to  the 
most  fondly  loved.  And  "what  have  I  to  do  with  thee?"  is  a 
literal  version  of  a  common  Aramaic  phrase  which,  while  it  sets 
aside  a  suggestion  and  waives  all  further  discussion  of  it,  is  yet 
perfectly  consistent  with  the  most  delicate  courtesy,  and  the  most 
feeling  consideration. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  165. 

In  a  Few  Words  All  Was  Disclosed 
The  master  of  the  festal  board  called  to   the  bridegroom : 

"Every  man,"  said  he,  "serves  the  good  wine  first,  and  when 

some  one  has  over-drunk,  then  he  serves  up  what  is  not  so  good. 

But  you — why,  you  have  kept  the  best  until  this  hour  ! " 

This  bantering  allusion  to  drinkers  who  dull  the  edge  of  their 

taste    by  overmuch    indulgence, — the  familiar  hint  anent  the 


138      THE  STORY-LIFE  OP  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

usual  excesses  at  other  wedding  banquets,  where  there  is  not  (just 
as  here  there  was)  permeating  the  feeling  of  all  a  sense  of  some 
divine  influence  present  amongst  them, — all  this  shows  that  the 
supposition  arrived  at  by  the  master  of  the  entertainment  was 
that  the  young  host  had  wished  to  surprise  the  comijany  agreeably. 
But  at  once,  to  his  amazement,  the  latter  was  made  aware  that  a 
wondrous  deed  had  been  accomplished.  His  eyes  turned  to  the 
servers,  to  Mary.  Then  in  a  few  words  all  was  disclosed.  Jesus 
had  performed  His  first  miracle. 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abb6  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  146. 

**  Crowd  Eternity  into  an  Howr** 
There  are  moments  when  the  grace  of  God  stirs  sensibly  in  the 
human  heart ;  when  the  soul  seems  to  rise  upon  the  eagle-wings 
of  hope  and  prayer  into  the  heaven  of  heavens  ;  when  caught  up, 
as  it  were,  into  God's  very  presence,  we  see  and  hear  things  un- 
speakable. At  such  moments  we  live  a  lifetime ;  for  emotions 
such  as  these  annihilate  all  time  ;  they  — 

"  Crowd  Eternity  into  an  hour, 
Or  stretch  an  hour  into  Eternity." 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D,  D.,  F.  K.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  156. 

Alike  Only  in  Name 

It  does  not  follow,  however,  from  these  facts,  that  by  his  ex- 
ample or  his  silence  Christ  encourages  the  drinking  customs  of 
modern  society,  or  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  modern  alcoholic 
liquors.  To  argue  the  temperance  question  is  not  within  our 
province  in  these  pages,  yet  two  facts  are  to  be  borne  in  mind  in 
considering  the  meaning  of  Christ's  example.  And  that  example 
it  is  our  province  to  elucidate. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  wines  of 
Palestine  and  those  in  ordinary  use  in  America  are  alike  only  in 
name.  Of  the  former  there  were  three  kinds.  First,  there  was 
fermented  wine.  It  contained  what  is  the  only  objectionable 
element  in  modern  wines,  a  percentage  of  alcohol.  It  was  the 
least  common,  and  the  percentage  of  alcohol  was  small.  Distilled 
liquors  were  almost,  if  not  utterly  unknown.  Second  were  the 
new  wines.     These,   like  our  new  cider,   were  wholly  without 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING    139 

alcohol,  and  were  not  intoxicating.  They  were  easily  preserved 
in  this  condition  for  several  mouths.  Third  were  wines  in  which, 
by  boiling  or  by  drugs,  the  process  of  fermentation  was  prevented 
and  alcohol  excluded.  These,  answering  somewhat  in  composi- 
tion and  character  to  our  raspberry  shrub,  were  mixed  with  water, 
and  constituted  the  most  common  drink  of  the  land. 

Jeaus  of  Nazareth,  Lymau  Abbott,  p.  108. 

A  "Week  of  Music  and  Dancing 
Meanwhile,  the  family  rejoicings  went  on  apace.  The  feast 
was  provided  at  the  cost  of  the  bridegroom,  and  continued, 
usually  for  seven  days,  with  the  greatest  mirth.  The  bride- 
groom wore  a  crown,  often  of  flowers — the  crown  with  which,  in 
the  Song  of  Solomon,  it  is  said,  "his  mother  crowned  him  in 
the  day  of  his  espousals,  in  the  day  of  the  gladness  of  his  heart," 
— and  sat,  "decked,  like  a  priest,  in  his  ornaments  ;  "  the  bride 
sitting  apart  among  the  women,  "adorned  with  her  jewels." 
Singing,  music,  and  dancing,  merry  riddles,  and  the  play  of  wit, 
amused  the  house,  night  after  night,  while  the  feast  was  pro- 
longed, and  it  was  only  after  it  had  worn  itself  out,  that  life 
settled  down  again  into  colourless  monotony. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  449. 

The  Central  Figure  of  the  Feast 

We  may  be  sure  that  from  that  moment  neither  bride  nor 
bridegroom  was  the  central  figure  of  the  feast ;  all  eyes  were 
fixed  on  Jesus.  Throughout  His  ministry  it  was  the  same  ;  into 
whatever  company  He  entered,  He  became  the  observed  of  all 
observers,  and  was  accounted  first  and  greatest. 

In  the  early  dawn  the  feast  ended,  and  the  guests  separated. 
What  thoughts  were  theirs,  as  they  passed  in  little  groups  up  the 
familiar  hill-paths  to  their  homes  !  How  would  they  stop  from 
time  to  time  ;  discuss  and  argue  anew  the  strange  happenings 
of  the  night ;  suggest  probabilities  and  explanations  that  led  to 
nothing,  all  the  while  quivering  with  a  joyous  fear,  half  glad  and 
half  reluctant  to  be  released  from  the  spell  of  a  personality  so 
supreme,  more  than  half  convinced  that  this  was  indeed  the  long- 
desired  Messiah.  They  would  circulate  the  strange  story  far  and 
wide.     By  nightfall  the  whole  countryside  reverberated  with  the 


140      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

rumor.  Curious  pilgrims  poured  into  Cana,  eager  to  see  One  of 
whom  such  marvelous  things  were  told.  But  soon  after  dawn 
Jesus  had  departed  too,  traveling  northward  to  Capernaum,  and 
taking  with  Him  the  nucleus  of  His  kingdom,  His  mother  and 
His  disciples,  who  had  seen  His  glory  for  the  first  time  in  Cana, 
and  henceforth  followed  Him  to  death — and  beyond  death. 
The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  69. 

They  All  Visit  Capernaum 
After  this  he  went  down  to  Capernaum,  he,  and  his  mother, 
and  his  brethren,  and  his  disciples :  and  they  continued  there 
not  many  days. 

John  ii.  12.    Authorised  Version. 

Young,  Gracious,  Fascinating 
The  return  of  Jesus  from  Cana  to  Capernaum  was  probably  a 
kind  of  triumph.  Young,  gracious,  fascinating,  He  had  by  a 
single  act  endeared  Himself  to  a  multitude  of  humble  people. 
The  rapid  growth  of  His  popularity  is  easily  explainable  when 
we  recollect  the  crowded  condition  of  Galilee,  and  the  extra- 
ordinary swiftness  with  which  rumour  travels  among  Oriental 
peoples  in  times  of  excitement.  Residents  in  India  have  often 
told  us  marvelous  stories  of  how  the  telegraph  itself  has  been 
outstripped  by  the  speed  of  popular  rumour."  Things  which  the 
authorities  have  treated  as  profoundly  secret  are  openly  dis- 
cussed in  bazaars  and  marketplaces  a  thousand  miles  away.  The 
whisper  of  the  statesman's  closet  vibrates  through  an  empire.  It 
would  seem  that  a  kind  of  freemasonry,  the  methods  of  which 
are  never  known  to  persons  in  authority,  exists  amoug  these 
subtle- witted  and  silent  populations  of  the  East,  and  by  its  means 
news  is  spread  as  by  the  birds  of  the  air. 
The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson ,  p.  82. 

The  Eternal  Is  Not  the  Future,  but  the  Unseen 
At  this  earliest  dawn  of  His  public  entrance  upon  His  ministry, 
our  Lord's  first  stay  in  Capernaum  was  not  many  days;  yet 
these  days  would  be  a  type  of  all  the  remaining  life.  He  would 
preach  in  a  Jewish  synagogue  built  by  a  Roman  centurion,  and 
His  works  of  love  would  become  known  to  men  of  many  nation- 


THE  YOUNG  RABBI  ATTENDS  A  WEDDING    141 

alities.  It  would  be  clear  to  all  that  the  new  Prophet  who  had 
arisen  was  wholly  unlike  His  great  forerunner.  The  hairy 
mantle,  the  ascetic  seclusion,  the  unshorn  locks,  would  have 
been  impossible  and  out  of  place  among  the  inhabitants  of  those 
crowded  and  busy  shores. 

Christ  came  not  to  revolutionise  but  to  ennoble  and  to  sanctify. 
He  came  to  reveal  that  the  Eternal  was  not  the  Future,  but  only 
the  Unseen ;  that  Eternity  was  no  ocean  whither  men  were  being 
swept  by  the  river  of  Time,  but  was  around  them  now,  and  that 
their  lives  were  only  real  in  so  far  as  they  felt  its  reality  and  its 
presence.  He  came  to  teach  that  God  was  no  dim  abstraction, 
infinitely  separated  from  them  in  the  far-off  blue,  but  that  He 
was  the  Father  in  whom  they  lived,  and  moved,  and  had  their 
being ;  and  that  the  service  which  He  loved  was  not  ritual  and 
sacrifice,     .     .     .     but  mercy  and  justice,  humility  and  love. 

He  came  not  to  hush  the  natural  music  of  men's  lives,  nor  to 
fill  it  with  storm  and  agitation,  but  to  re-tune  every  silver  chord 
in  that  "  harp  of  a  thousand  strings,"  and  to  make  it  echo  with 
the  harmonies  of  heaven. 

>    The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  180. 


TO  JEEUSALEM  AND  BACK 

'Tis  heaven  alone  that  is  given  away, 
'Tis  only  God  may  be  had  for  the  asking. 

— Lowell, 

Graft  in  the  Temple 

A  LOWLY  worshiper,  poor  but  with  devotion  still  aflame  within 
him,  would  come  up  to  the  capital  at  the  festival  season,  and 
would  buy  an  animal  for  sacrifice  in  the  public  markets  of  the 
city  where,  because  of  the  healthy  competition,  prices  were 
normal.  When  he  brought  this  animal  to  the  Temple,  however, 
the  priest  officials  would  proceed  solemnly  to  inspect  it ;  and 
then,  with  sorrowful  countenance,  would  announce  to  the  trem- 
bling worshiper  that,  however  sound  it  might  appear  to  the  un- 
practised eye,  the  animal  was  ceremonially  uusouud.  Thereupon 
the  man  was  compelled  to  buy  an  animal  of  one  of  the  traders  in 
the  Temple.  This  trader  exacted  a  "  ceremouially "  advanced 
price,  because  the  Temple  walls  shut  out  competition  from  the 
outside  ;  and  the  trader  and  the  priest  would  divide  the  profits. 

We  can  well  believe  that  the  price  of  stalls  in  this  Temple 
bazaar  had  been  splendidly  advanced  by  the  monopoly  privileges 
thus  conferred.  Moreover  the  Temple  tax  was  payable  in  the 
Temple  currency  only,  by  reason  of  that  old  statute  of  Israel 
which  declared  that  no  coin  bearing  the  image  of  an  earthly  em- 
peror could  be  recognized  as  legitimate.  This  provided  work  for 
another  class  of  traders,  the  "money-changers,"  whereby  a  further 
extortion  was  practised  upon  the  poor. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  159. 

Cornering  the  Market  of  Sacrifices 

The  Sadducees,  who  were  mainly  priests,  or  of  priestly  descent, 
maintained  that  all  beasts  required  for  sacrifice  should  be  obtained 

142 


TO  JERUSALEM  AND  BACK  143 

directly  from  the  priest ;  the  Pharisees,  in  this  controversy  for 
ouce  upon  the  side  of  the  people,  maintained  that  all  animals  for 
sacrifice  or  offering  should  be  bought  in  the  open  market,  at  the 
current  market  price.  This  controversy  grew  in  time  into  a 
bitter  trade  dispute.  Each  side  made  strenuous  attempts  to 
"  corner  the  market,"  as  we  should  put  it.  An  instance  is  pre- 
served of  a  pair  of  pigeons  being  run  up  to  no  less  figure  than 
fifteen  shillings,  and  before  night  being  brought  down  to  four- 
pence.  But  all  eiforts  to  defeat  the  Sadducees  collapsed.  It  was 
of  the  first  importance  that  any  offering  brought  to  the  Temple 
should  be  free  from  blemish,  and  the  priest  and  his  assistant 
were  the  only  persons  qualified  to  decide  on  such  a  question. 

It  is  obvious  that  such  power  was  open  to  gross  abuse.  A 
poor  countryman  was  very  likely  to  find  that  the  animal  he  had 
bought  in  the  open  market  was  rejected  by  the  Temple  inspector. 
Rather  than  incur  this  peril  and  disgrace  he  went  to  the  market 
of  the  priests,  and  bought  a  certified  animal  at  a  much  higher 
than  the  market  rate.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that,  partly  for 
convenience,  partly  as  a  valuable  impetus  to  trade,  cattle  mar- 
kets came  to  be  held  in  the  outer  courts  of  the  Temple  itself. 
These  markets  appear  to  have  been  the  property  of  the  high 
priests.  It  is  clear,  tlieu,  that  a  system  of  rapacity,  not  less 
odious  and  unblushing  than  the  Roman  sale  of  indulgences, 
which  provoked  the  Reformation,  existed  in  the  Jewish  Temple 
itself,  and  the  main  effect  of  this  system  was  not  only  the  dese- 
cration of  the  Temple,  but  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  who  were 
tlie  main  sufferers  and  the  victims. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  97. 

Driving  out  Market  Men  and  Brokers 

And  the  Jews'  passover  was  at  hand,  and  Jesus  went  up  to 
Jerusalem,  and  found  in  the  temple  those  that  sold  oxen  and 
sheep  and  doves,  and  the  changers  of  money  sitting.  And  when 
he  had  made  a  scourge  of  small  cords,  he  drove  them  all  out  of 
the  temple,  and  the  sheep,  and  the  oxen ;  and  poured  out  the 
changers'  money,  and  overthrew  the  tables  ;  and  said  unto  them 
that  sold  doves. 

Take  these  things  hence ;  make  not  my  Father's  house  an 
house  of  merchandise. 


144      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Aud  his  disciiiles  remembered  that  it  was  written,  The  zeal  of 
thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up. 
John  ii.  13-17.     Authorised  Version. 

Burning  with  Noble  Indignation 

Filled  with  a  righteous  scorn  at  all  this  mean  irreverence, 
burning  with  irresistible  and  noble  indignation,  Jesus,  on  enter- 
ing the  Temple,  made  a  scourge  of  the  rushes  that  lay  on  the 
floor  ;  and  in  order  to  cleanse  the  sacred  court  of  its  worst  pollu- 
tions, first  drove  out,  indiscriminately,  the  sheej)  and  oxen  and 
the  low  crowd  who  tended  them.  Then  going  to  the  tables  of  the 
money-changers.  He  overthrew  them  where  they  stood,  upsetting 
the  carefully-arranged  heaps  of  [the  various  kinds  of  coins]  and 
leaving  the  owners  to  grope  aud  hunt  for  their  scattered  money 
on  the  polluted  floor. 

Even  to  those  who  sold  doves  He  issued  the  mandate  to  depart, 
less  sternly  indeed,  because  the  dove  was  the  offering  for  the 
poor,  and  there  was  less  desecration  and  foulness  in  the  presence 
there  of  those  lovely  emblems  of  innocence  and  purity  ;  nor  could 
He  overturn  the  tables  of  the  dove-sellers  lest  the  birds  should  be 
hurt  in  their  cages  ;  but  still,  even  to  those  who  sold  doves, 
He  .  exclaimed,  ''Take  these  things  hence,"  justifying  His 
action  to  the  whole  terrified,  injured,  muttering,  ignoble  crowd 
in  no  other  words  than  the  high  rebuke, 

'■^  Make  not  my  Father'' s  house  a  house  of  merchandise.^^ 

And  His  disciples,  seeing  this  transport  of  inspiring  and 
glorious  anger,  recalled  to  mind  what  David  had  once  written  "to 
the  chief  musician  "     .     .     for  the  service  of  that  very  Temple, 

"The  zeal  of  thine  house  shall  even  devour  me." 
The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  E.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  187. 

Gjnsteirnation  in  the  Temple 

The  men  fled  before  him  as  if  they  were  fleeing  from  a  storm- 
wind.  Not  one  of  them  dared  to  oppose  him,  and  the  priests  were 
more  frightened  than  those  who  bought  aud  sold,  for  they  were 
really  the  guilty  ones.  They  had  allowed  this  disorder  because 
the  merchants  gave  them  a  share  of  the  profits.  Eaising  doves 
and  selling  them  was  in  the  hands  of  Annas,  the  high  priest,  and 


TO  JERUSALEM  AND  BACK  146 

he  had  a  large  income  from  the  business.  No  one  knew  what  this 
young  Rabbi  would  say  next,  and  both  priests  and  merchants  were 
afraid  that  he  knew  their  secret  and  would  tell  it. 

Jesus  dropped  the  whip  of  cords  and  stood  in  the  court,  watch- 
ing the  priests  as  they  gathered  in  little  groups  and  whispered 
together.  They  did  not  dare  to  question  him,  but  some  of  the 
pilgrims  and  the  people  of  the  city  who  stood  near  were  thinking, 
"  Only  a  prophet,  or  perhaps  even  the  Christ,  would  dare  to  do 
such  a  thing. " 

The  Christ  Story,  Eva  March  Tappan,  p,  75. 


**  Show  Us  the  Sign  and  Seal  of  Your  Authority  I  ** 

Then  answered  the  Jews  and  said  unto  him,  What  sign  shewest 
thou  unto  us,  seeing  that  thou  doest  these  things  ? 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in 
three  days  I  will  raise  it  up. 

Then  said  the  Jews,  Forty  and  six  years  was  this  temple  in 
building,  and  wilt  thou  rear  it  up  in  three  days? 

But  he  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body. 

When  therefore  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  his  disciples  re- 
membered that  he  had  said  this  unto  them  ;  and  they  believed  the 
scripture,  and  the  word  which  Jesus  had  said. 
John  ii.  18-22.     Authorised  Version. 

He  Left  Them  to  Think  It  Over 

The  teachers  of  religion  were  in  session  on  the  sunny  porch 
where  Jesus  as  a  boy,  twenty  years  before,  had  asked  them  ques- 
tions, when  this  startling  news  came  to  them.  They  should  have 
been  delighted.  They  were  simply  dumbfounded.  They  sent  a 
committee  at  once  to  Jesus,  who  was  still  in  the  Temple. 

"  What  sign  can  you  show  us,  to  prove  that  you  have  a  right  to 
act  in  this  way  ?  "  they  demanded  sternly. 

The  people  of  the  East  are  fond  of  puzzles.  These  wise  men 
liked  to  give  puzzle-answers.  Jesus  remembered  some  of  the 
puzzles  these  same  men  had  told  him  as  a  boy  to  bewilder  him 
when  he  was  seeking  the  truth.  So  he  gave  them  another,  to 
think  upon. 


146      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

•'Destroy  this  temple,"  he  answered  with  a  smile,  pointing  to 
his  own  body,  "  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up." 

'*  But,"  stammered  an  old  man  who  was  looking  about  him  at 
the  Temple — one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world — and  had  not  noticed 
the  meaning  of  the  gesture  of  Jesus,  "But  this  Temple  has  been 
fully  forty-six  years  building  (indeed  it  was  still  unfinished),  and 
how  are  you  going  to  raise  it  up  again  in  three  days?  " 

Jesus  left  them  to  think  it  over. 
The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbusb,  p.  87. 

When  the  First  Shadow  of  the  Cross  Fell  on  Him 

Thus  it  was  in  the  Temple,  where  His  first  daring  act  of  reform 
was  done,  that  the  first  shadow  of  the  Cross  fell  upon  Him  :  and 
this  scene  casts  a  strong  illumination  on  the  drama  of  His  death. 
When  the  spirit  of  the  market-place  has  entered  the  house  of  God 
there  is  no  measuring  the  nature  of  the  disasters  which  maj' 
ensue.  They  may  even  include  utter  hostility  to  truth,  the  per- 
secution of  the  good,  and  in  the  end  the  murder  of  the  just. 
Events  proved  that  Jesus  was  crucified,  not  because  He  declared 
truth,  but  because  He  attacked  privilege — a  crime  for  which  the 
corrupt  know  no  pardon. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawsou,  p.  104. 

Many  Believed 

Now  when  he  was  in  Jerusalem  at  the  passover,  in  the  feast  day, 
many  believed  in  his  name,  when  they  saw  the  miracles  which  he 
did.  But  Jesus  did  not  commit  himself  unto  them,  because  he 
knew  all  men,  and  needed  not  that  any  should  testify  of  man : 
for  he  knew  what  was  in  man. 

John  ii.  23-25.     Authorised  Version. 

All  the  People  Hung  upon  His  "Words 

Jesus  continued  to  teach  each  day  in  the  Temple  courts,  but 
the  chief  priests  and  teachers  of  the  Law  were  eager  to  take  his 
life,  and  so  also  were  the  leading  men.  Yet  they  could  not  see 
what  to  do,  for  the  people  all  hung  upon  his  words. 

Luke  xix.  47,  48.     The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  3Iodern  English, 
p.  149. 


TO  JERUSALEM  AND  BACK  147 

Nicodemus's  Night  Visit 

There  was,  however,  amoug  the  Pharisees,  a  man  named  Nico- 
demus,  one  of  the  Judeau  priuces.  He  came  to  Him  during  the 
night,  and  said  to  Him  : 

"  Eabbi,  Ave  know  that  You  are  a  teacher  come  from  God; 
because  no  one  could  produce  the  proofs  which  You  do  unless 
God  were  with  him." 

"Most  assuredly  I  tell  you,'' replied  Jesus,  " that  unless  any 
one  is  born  from  above,  he  cannot  see  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

Nicodemus  therefore  asked  : 

"  How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old  ?  Can  he  be  con- 
ceived of  his  mother  a  second  time  and  be  born?  " 

"Most  assuredly  I  tell  you,"  replied  Jesus,  "  that  if  a  man  is 
not  born  from  water  and  Spirit,  he  is  unable  to  enter  into  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  That  which  is  born  from  the  flesh  is  flesh  ; 
and  that  which  is  born  from  the  Spirit  is  spirit.  Do  not  be  sur- 
prised that  I  told  you,  'You  must  be  born  from  above.'  The 
Spirit  indeed,  breathes  where  He  pleases,  and  you  hear  His 
voice  ;  but  yet  you  neither  see  where  He  comes  from,  nor  where 
He  goes  :  so  it  is  with  all  born  of  the  Spirit." 

Nicodemus,  answering  Him,  asked  :  "  How  can  this  be"?  " 

"Are  you  the  teacher  of  Israel,"  remarked  Jesus,  in  response 
to  him,  "and  yet  unable  to  discern  this?  I  tell  you  most  cer- 
tainly, that  what  we  know,  that  we  declare,  and  we  witness  to 
what  we  have  seen  ;  but  you  do  not  accept  our  evidence.  If  you 
do  not  believe  when  I  tell  you  about  earthly  matters,  how  can 
you  credit  what  I  tell  you  relating  to  the  heavenly  ?  No  one  has 
ascended  to  the  heaven,  except  the  One  who  descended  from 
heaven — the  Son  of  Man.  And  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in 
the  desert,  so  it  is  necessary  for  the  Son  of  Man  to  be  lifted  up  ; 
so  that  all  believing  in  Him  may  have  eternal  life." 

For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  the  only-begotten 
Sou,  so  that  every  one  believing  in  Him  should  not  be  lost,  but 
have  eternal  life.  For  God  did  not  send  His  Son  to  the  world 
that  He  might  condemn  the  world  ;  but  that  He  might  save  the 
world  through  Him.  The  believer  in  Him  will  not  be  con- 
demned ;  whoever  does  not  trust,  however,  is  already  convicted, 
because  he  has  not  confided  on  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God. 
And  the  indictment  is  this  :  that  the  Light  came  into  the  world, 


148      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

aud  men  loved  the  darkness  rather  than  the  Light,  because  their 
practices  were  wicked.  For  every  one  who  acts  vilely,  not  only 
hates  the  light,  but  shrinks  from  it,  so  that  his  doings  may  not 
be  detected.  But  he  who  does  right  comes  to  the  fight,  so  that 
his  actions  may  be  displayed  because  the  origin  of  his  conduct  is 
in  God. 

John  iii.  1-21.      TheNetv  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  3. 

His  Supposed  Account  of  the  Interview 

(From  an  Imaginary  Journal  of  Nicodemus) 

I  have  miugled  my  own  thoughts  with  this  master's  words  ; 
for  as  he  spake,  new  thoughts  I  never  had  before  rushed  into  my 
mind.  I  seemed  to  behold  a  vision  of  the  coming  day  of  God, 
which  the  prophets  foretold, — the  reign  of  peace  and  love  on 
earth  ;  aud  my  eyes  were  filled  with  tears  as  I  answered, — 

"  Alas  !  I  am  too  old  for  such  a  change.  How  can  a  man  as 
old  as  I,  so  fixed  in  all  my  habits,  ever  come  out  of  them  1  How 
live  in  such  new  and  strange  thoughts  as  these  ?  They  are  too 
high  for  me  :  I  cannot  attain  to  them.  How  can  a  man  be  born 
when  he  is  old  *?"... 

And  he  answered  with  a  kind  but  serious  tone,  "Art  thou  a 
master  in  Israel,  and  kuowest  not  these  things?" 

Then  he  asked  me  if  I  did  not  know  how  the  breath  of  God  in 
the  soul  could  change  the  hard  heart  aud  stubborn  will,  and  how 
the  prophet  taught  us  to  say,  ' '  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  aud 
renew  a  right  spirit  within  me."  Such  changes  of  purpose  and 
intention  had  been  produced  by  the  preaching  of  the  prophet  of 
the  wilderness,  the  Baptizer.  These  were  the  rudiments  of  faith. 
"How  canst  thou  understand,"  said  he,  "  all  the  higher  wonders 
of  the  kingdom,  all  its  heavenly  mysteries,  if  thou  art  so  con- 
fused by  these  things  1  " 

Aud  I  saw,  as  he  spoke,  that  his  own  soul  is  full  of  insights  so 
high,  that  there  is,  I  suppose,  no  man  on  earth  able  to  compre- 
hend them.  Aud  I  thought  he  must  needs  be  the  most  lonely 
man  alive,  since  he  can  only  talk  with  God  of  these  things  ;  yet 
who  would  not  be  willing  to  be  so  alone  with  God  ?  But,  most 
strange,  this  man  does  not  go  from  the  world  to  pray  and  medi- 
tate, and  commune  with  the  Almighty,  but  spends  his  days  in 
the  streets  and  wherever  men  are  to  be  found.     He  seems  to  love 


TO  JERUSALEM  AND  BACK  149 

all  men  more,  the  more  he  loves  God.  He,  though  alone  with 
God,  is  always  walking  with  man.  Then  I  understood  one  of  his 
sayiugs,  "No  man  hath  gone  up  so  high  into  heaven  as  he  who 
hath  come  down  out  of  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man,  who  is 
always  in  heaven." 

Can  this  be  THE  CHRIST  1 
Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  ly  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  285. 

Pharisees  Alieady  Jealows  of  Jesus 
When  therefore  the  Lord  knew  that  the  Pharisees  had  heard 
that  Jesus  was  making  and  baptizing  more  disciples  than  John 
(although  Jesus  himself  baptized  not,  but  his  disciples),  he  left 
Judea,  and  departed  again  into  Galilee. 
John  iv.  1-3.     American  Revision. 

He  Took:  the  Short  Route  through  Samaria 
And  he  must  needs  pass  through  Samaria.  So  he  cometh  to  a 
city  of  Samaria,  called  Sychar,  near  to  the  parcel  of  ground  that 
Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph  :  and  Jacob's  well  was  there.  Jesus 
therefore,  being  wearied  with  his  journey,  sat  thus  by  the  well. 
It  was  about  the  sixth  hour. 

John  iv.  4-6.     American  Revision. 

He  Must  Have  Started  in  the  Early  Morning 
The  direct  road  to  Galilee  ran  through  the  half-heathen  country 
of  Samaria,  and  this  Jesus  resolved  to  take,  though  men  of  His 
nation  generally  preferred  the  circuitous  route  by  Perea,  rather 
than  pass  through  the  territory  of  a  race  they  hated.  It  ran 
north  from  Jerusalem,  past  Bethel,  between  the  height  of 
Libona  on  the  left  hand,  and  of  Shiloh  on  the  right,  entering 
Samaria  at  the  south  end  of  the  beautiful  valley,  which,  further 
north,  stretches  past  the  foot  of  Mounts  Gerizim  and  Ebal.  He 
must  have  started  in  the  early  morning,  to  reach  Sychar  by  noon, 
and  must  have  been  near  the  boundary  to  have  done  so  at  all,  in 
the  short  morning  of  a  winter's  day.  The  road  was  proverbially 
unsafe  for  Jewish  passengers,  either  returning  from  Jerusalem  or 
going  to  it,  for  it  passed  through  the  border  districts  where  the 
feud  of  the  two  rival  peoples  raged  most  fiercely. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D,,  Vol.  I,  p.  490. 


150      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Story  of  Sychar 
The  capital  of  Samaria,  Sicbem,  called  by  the  Jews  derisively 
Sychar,  i.  e.,  liar  or  druukard,  is  beautifully  placed  in  a  pass  in 
the  mountains.  Mount  Ebal  rises  on  the  one  side,  Mount  Gerizim 
on  the  other.  The  verdure  of  the  narrow  valley  which  intervenes 
is  said  to  be  unsurpassed  in  beauty  by  any  in  the  Holy  Land. 
Historical  reminiscences  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  a  scene  for 
which  nature  has  done  so  much.  Here  the  Lord  first  appeared  to 
Abraham,.  Here  Jacob  bought  a  piece  of  ground,  and  erected 
to  the  Almighty  his  first  altar.  Hither  he  sent  his  sons  to  find 
pasturage  for  their  flocks,  and  here  Joseph  sought  them,  though 
in  vain.  Here,  complying  with  the  command  of  Moses,  Joshua, 
gathering  the  people  of  Israel  after  the  conquest  of  Canaan,  re- 
hearsed to  them  the  law,  reminded  them  of  its  blessings  and  its 
curses,  pointed  to  the  mountains  as  everlasting  reminders  of  both, 
and  built  an  altar  of  unhewn  stone,  covered  with  plaster  and  in- 
scribed with  the  law ;  then  bade  them  farewell,  and  lay  down  to 
die.  And  here,  after  their  long  pilgrimage  in  the  wilderness  was 
ended,  the  Israelites  brought  the  bones  of  Joseph,  and  buried 
them  in  land  that  belonged  to  his  father  Jacob. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  127. 

The  Sacred  Mount  of  the  Samaritans 
To  the  Samaritans,  Gerizim  was  the  most  holy  spot  on  earth. 
It  was  their  sacred  mountain,  and  had  been,  as  they  believed,  the 
seat  of  Paradise,  while  all  the  streams  that  water  the  earth  were 
supposed  to  flow  from  it.  Adam  had  been  formed  of  its  dust, 
and  had  lived  on  it.  The  few  Samaritans  still  surviving,  show, 
even  at  this  day,  the  spot  on  which  he  built  his  first  altar,  and 
that  on  which,  afterwards,  the  altar  of  Seth,  also,  was  raised. 
They  fancied  that  Gerizim  was  Ararat,  fifteen  cubits  higher  than 
the  next  highest  and  next  holiest  mountain  on  earth — Mount 
Ebal,  and  that  it  was  the  one  pure  and  sacred  spot  in  the  world, 
which,  having  risen  above  the  waters  of  the  flood,  no  corpse  had 
defiled. 

Every  Samaritan  child  of  the  neighbourhood  could  point  out  the 
places  on  it  where  Noah  came  out  from  the  ark,  and  where  he 
built  his  altar,  and  show  the  seven  altar  steps,  on  each  of  which 
Noah  offered  a  sacrifice.     The  altar  on  which  Abraham  bound 


TO  JERUSALEM  AND  BACK  151 

Isaac,  and  the  spot  where  the  ram  was  caught  in  the  thicket, 
were  amongst  its  wonders.  In  the  centre  of  the  summit  was  the 
broad  stone  on  which  Jacob  rested  his  head  when  he  saw  the 
mystic  ladder,  and,  near  it,  the  spot  where  Joshua  built  the  first 
altar  in  the  land,  after  its  conquest,  and  the  twelve  stones  he  set 
ui),  on  the  under  side  of  which,  they  believed,  the  Law  of  Moses 
had  been  written.  On  this  sacred  ground  their  Temple  had 
stood  for  two  hundred  years,  till  destroyed  by  the  Jews  a  hundred 
and  twenty- nine  years  before  Christ. 

Towards  Gerizim  every  Samaritan  turned  his  face  when  he 
prayed,  and  it  was  believed  the  Messiah  would  first  appear  on 
its  toj),  to  bring  from  their  hiding-place  in  it  the  sacred  vessels 
of  the  Tabernacle  of  Moses.  It  was  unspeakably  sacred  to  the 
nation,  as  the  one  spot  on  earth  where  man  was  nearest  to  his 
Maker.  The  simple  Samaritan  woman,  with  whom  Jesus  talked, 
had  been  trained  up  in  the  undoubting  belief  of  all  these  legends, 
and  her  very  mention  of  Jerusalem,  respectfully,  as  a  place  sacred 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Jew,  showed  a  spirit  ready  to  be  taught. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  499. 

Waiting  in  Weariness  at  the  Well 
It  was  the  hour  of  noon,  and  weary  as  He  was  with  the  long 
journey,  possibly  also  with  the  extreme  heat,  our  Lord  sat  "  thus" 
on  the  well.  The  expression  in  the  original  is  most  pathetically 
picturesque.  It  implies  that  the  Wayfarer  was  quite  tired  out, 
and  in  His  exhaustion  flung  His  limbs  wearily  on  the  seat,  anx- 
ious, if  possible,  for  comx)lete  repose.  His  disciples — probably 
the  two  pairs  of  brothers  whom  He  had  called  among  the  earliest, 
and  with  them  the  friends,  Philip  and  Bartholomew — had  left 
him,  to  buy  in  the  neighbouring  city  what  was  necessary  for  their 
wants  ;  and,  hungry  and  thirsty,  He  who  bore  all  our  infirmities 
sat  wearily  awaiting  them,  when  His  solitude  was  broken  by  the 
approach  of  a  woman. 

In  a  May  noon  in  Palestine  the  heat  may  be  indeed  intense,  but 
it  is  not  too  intense  to  admit  of  moving  about ;  and  this  woman, 
either  from  accident,  or,  possibly,  because  she  was  in  no  good 
repute,  and  therefore  would  avoid  the  hour  when  the  well  would 
be  thronged  by  all  the  women  of  the  city,  was  coming  to  draw 
water.     Her  national  enthusiasm  and  reverence  for  the  great 


152      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

ancestor  of  her  race,  or  perhaps  the  superior  coolness  and  fresh- 
ness of  the  water,  may  have  been  sufficient  motive  to  induce  her 
to  seek  this  well,  rather  than  any  nearer  fountain.  Water  in  the 
East  is  not  only  a  necessity,  but  a  delicious  luxury,  and  the 
natives  of  Palestine  are  [good  judges]  as  to  its  quality. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  206. 

That  Sublime  Sermon  to  One  Abandoned  Woman 

A  woman  of  Samaria  came  to  draw  water ;  and  Jesus  said  to 
her — "Give  me  some  to  drink,"  for  his  disciples  had  gone  into 
the  town  to  buy  food. 

"  How  is  it,"  replied  the  Samaritan  woman,  "that  you  who  are 
a  Jew  ask  for  water  from  a  Samaritan  woman  like  me?  "  (For 
Jews  do  not  associate  with  Samaritans.) 

"If  you  knew  of  the  gift  of  God,"  replied  Jesus,  "and  who 
it  is  that  is  saying  to  you  '  Give  me  some  water, '  you  would  have 
asked  him,  and  he  would  have  given  you  living  water.'  " 

"You  have  no  bucket,  Sir,  and  the  well  is  deep,"  she  said  ; 
"where  did  you  get  that  'living  water?'  Surely  you  are  not 
greater  than  our  ancestor  Jacob  who  gave  us  the  well,  and  used 
to  drink  from  it  himself,  and  his  sons,  and  his  cattle  ! " 

"  All  who  drink  of  this  water,"  replied  Jesus,  "will  be  thirsty 
again  ;  but  whoever  once  drinks  of  the  water  that  I  will  give  him 
shall  never  thirst  any  more  ;  but  the  water  that  I  will  give  him 
shall  become  a  spring  welling  up  within  him — a  source  of  im- 
mortal life." 

"Give  me  this  water.  Sir,"  said  the  woman,  "so  that  I  may 
not  be  thirsty,  nor  have  to  come  all  the  way  here  to  draw  water." 

"Go  and  call  your  husband,"  said  Jesus,  "and  then  come 
back." 

"  I  have  no  husband,"  answered  the  woman. 

"You  are  right  in  saying  'I  have  no  husband,'"  replied 
Jesus,  "  for  you  have  had  five  husbands,  and  the  man  with 
whom  you  are  now  living  is  not  your  husband  ;  in  saying  that, 
you  have  spoken  the  truth." 

"I  see,  Sir,  that  you  are  a  prophet !  "  exclaimed  the  woman. 
"  It  was  on  this  mountain  that  our  ancestors  worshiped  ;  and  yet 
you  Jews  say  that  the  proper  place  for  worship  is  in  Jerusalem." 

"  Believe  me,"  replied  Jesus,  "  a  time  is  coming  when  it  will 


TO  JERUSALEM  AND  BACK  153 

be  neither  on  this  mountain  nor  in  Jerusalem  that  you  will  wor- 
ship the  Father.  You  Samaritans  do  not  know  what  you  worship ; 
we  know  what  we  worship,  for  salvation  comes  from  the  Jews. 
But  a  time  is  coming,  indeed  it  is  already  here,  when  the  true 
worshipers  will  worshij)  the  Father  spiritually  and  truly ;  for 
such  are  the  worshipers  that  the  Father  desires.  God  is  Spirit ; 
and  those  who  worship  him  must  worship  spiritually  and  truly." 

"I  know,"  answered  the  woman,  "that  the  Messiah,  who  is 
called  the  Christ,  is  coming  ;  when  once  he  has  come,  he  will  tell 
us  every thiug." 

"  I  am  He,"  Jesus  said  to  her,  "I  who  am  speaking  to  you." 
John  iv.  7-26.     The  Tioentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  171. 

"  I  Have  Food  to  Eat  ** 

At  this  point.  His  disciples  returned  ;  and  they  were  much 
surprised  to  find  Him  talking  with  a  woman.  Yet  none  asked, 
"What  are  You  discussing*?"  or,  "What  do  You  talk  to  her 
about!" 

The  woman  leaving  her  drawbucket,  thereupon  went  off  to  the 
town,  and  said  to  the  men  : 

"Come  here !  see  a  Man  who  has  told  all  I  have  ever  done  ! 
Must  not  this  be  the  Messiah  ?  " 

So  they  left  the  town,  and  were  coming  towards  Him.  In  the 
meantime  His  disciples  pressed  Him,  saying, 

"  Master,  take  something  to  eat." 

But  He  answered  them,  "  I  have  food  to  eat,  of  which  you 
know  nothing." 

The  disciples  then  began  asking  each  other, 

"  Has  any  one  brought  Him  food  ?  " 

"My  food,"  Jesus  said  to  them,  "is  to  do  the  will  of  my 
Sender,  and  to  accomi3lish  His  work.  Do  you  not  say,  *  The 
harvest  comes  with  the  fourth  month  ? '  See  !  Look  up,  I  tell 
you,  and  survey  the  fields ;  for  they  are  already  white  for 
harvesting.  Now  the  reaper  receives  wages,  and  gathers  fruit 
for  eternal  life ;  so  that  both  the  sower  and  the  reaper  may  re- 
joice together.  For  in  this  thought  is  truth  :  '  The  sower  is  one, 
and  the  reaper  another. '  I  have  sent  you  to  reap  that  which  you 
have  not  cultivated,  and  you  enter  into  their  cultivation." 

John  iv.  27-38.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  5. 


154      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Good  News  in  Samaria 

Many  from  that  town  came  to  believe  in  Jesus — Samaritans 
though  they  were — on  account  of  the  woman's  statement — "He 
has  told  me  everything  that  I  have  done."  And,  when  these 
Samaritans  had  come  to  Jesus,  they  begged  him  to  stay  with 
them,  and  he  stayed  there  two  days.  But  far  more  came  to  be- 
lieve in  him  on  account  of  what  he  said  himself,  and  they  said  to 
the  woman  : 

"It  is  no  longer  because  of  what  you  say  that  we  believe  in 
him,  for  we  have  heard  him  ourselves  and  know  that  he  really  is 
the  Saviour  of  the  world." 

John  iv.  39-42.   The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  31odern  English,  p.  172. 

The  Baptist's  Testimony  at  AEnon 

After  this,  Jesus  and  His  disciples  proceeded  to  the  district  of 
Judea,  where  He  resided  with  them,  and  baptized.  And  John 
was  also  baptizing  in  ./Enon,  near  Salim,  because  there  was 
plenty  of  water  there ;  and  they  came  and  were  baptized :  for 
John  had  not  as  yet  been  imprisoned. 

A  discussion  accordingly  took  place  between  some  of  the  dis- 
ciples of  John  and  a  Judean  concerning  purification.  So  they 
came  to  John,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  Teacher,  the  Man  who  was  with  you  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Jordan,  concerning  whom  you  have  yourself  given  evidence — 
this  Man  is  now  also  baptizing,  and  all  the  people  flock  to  Him." 

"A  man  can  obtain  no  success,"  John  made  answer,  "unless 
it  has  been  granted  to  him  from  heaven.  You  are  yourselves 
witnesses  of  the  fact  that  I  stated,  '  I  myself  am  not  the  Messiah, 
but  that  I  am  sent  as  His  forerunner.'  The  possessor  of  the 
bride  is  the  bridegroom  ;  but  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom,  who 
stands  listening  to  him,  is  delighted  with  delight  at  the  voice  of 
the  bridegroom.  This  pleasure,  therefore,  which  is  mine,  is  now 
complete.     He  must  increase,  but  I  myself  decrease. 

"  He  who  comes  from  above  is  above  all.  The  one  who  origi- 
nates from  the  earth  is  from  the  earth,  and  speaks  from  the  earth. 
He  who  comes  from  the  heaven  is  above  all  :  and  He  gives 
evidence  of  what  He  has  seen  and  heard  ;  yet  His  evidence  is 
accepted  by  none.  Whosoever  accepts  His  evidence  is  assured 
that  it  is  divine  truth.     For  He  whom  God  has  sent  proclaims 


TO  JERUSALEM  AND  BACK  155 

the  message  of  God,  because  He  did  not  grant  the  Spirit  with 
liinitatiou.  The  Father  loves  the  Son,  and  has  given  all  into 
His  hand.  Every  believer  in  the  Son  possesses  everlasting  life  ; 
but  whosoever  disregards  the  Sou  will  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath 
of  God  rests  nj^on  him." 

John  iii.  22-36.     The  New  Testament  in  Modem  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  4. 

At  Cana  Again 

After  Jesus  left  the  Samaritans,  he  journeyed  on  iuto  Galilee, 
for  he  longed  to  be  with  his  old  friends.  He  had  done  mauy 
miracles  iu  Jerusalem,  and  although  we  do  not  know  what  they 
were,  we  know  they  were  so  great  that  wherever  he  went  in 
Galilee  he  was  followed  by  crowds.  Sometimes  these  people 
came  to  listen  to  him,  but  oftener  to  beg  him  to  work  some 
wonder  for  them.  The  men  of  Cana  were  especially  eager  to  see 
him,  for  every  one  there  had  heard  of  his  turning  water  into  wine 
at  the  wedding  feast. 

When  he  reached  Cana,  it  was  the  seventh  hour,  that  is,  an 
hour  after  noon.  Iu  Palestine  no  one  goes  out  in  the  sun  at  noon 
if  he  can  help  it,  but  even  in  the  heat  many  people  stood  waiting 
to  hear  Jesus.  Suddenly  one  of  King  Antipas's  officers  galloped 
up  on  horseback  and  dashed  into  the  crowd,  scattering  the  people 
to  right  and  to  left.  He  would  not  be  delayed  for  a  moment. 
"Sir,  Sir,"  he  cried,  "come  with  me!  My  son  is  dying  at 
Capernaum.  Come  with  me  and  heal  him  ! ' ' 
The  Christ  Story,  Eva  March  Tappan,  p.  87. 

Reviving  the  Nobleman's  Son 

Now  there  was  one  of  the  king's  officers  whose  son  was  lying 
ill  at  Capernaum.  When  this  man  heard  that  Jesus  had  returned 
from  Judea  to  Galilee,  he  went  to  him,  and  begged  him  to  come 
down  and  cnre  his  son  ;  for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death. 

Jesus  answered  :  "  Unless  you  all  see  signs  and  wonders,  you 
will  not  believe." 

"  Sir,"  said  the  officer,  "  come  down  before  my  child  dies." 

And  Jesus  answered  :  "Go,  your  son  is  living."  The  man  be- 
lieved what  Jesus  said  to  him,  and  went ;  and,  while  he  was  on 
his  way  down,  his  servants  met  him,  and  told  him  that  his  child 


156      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

was  living.     So  he  asked  them  at  what  time  the  boy  began  to 
get  better. 

"It  was  yesterday,  about  one  o'clock,"  they  said,  ''that  the 
fever  left  him." 

By  this  the  father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  very  time  when 
Jesus  had  said  to  him  "Your  son  is  living"  ;  and  he  himself, 
with  all  his  household,  believed  in  Jesus.  This  was  the  second 
occasion  on  which  Jesus  gave  a  sign  of  his  mission  on  coming 
from  Judea  to  Galilee. 

John  iv.  46-54.  The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  173. 


XI 

DRIVEN  FROM  THE  HOME  TOWN 

He  came  unto  His  own  and  His  own  received  Him  not. 

— John  i.  11. 

Nazareth  Friends  Already  Jealous  of  Him 
Finding  that  he  was  becomiug  so  i)opular  iu  Judea  that  the 
friends  of  John  were  getting  jealous  of  him,  Jesus  decided  not  to 
allow  himself  to  be  the  slightest  hindrance  to  the  great  leader, 
and  he  at  once  turned  north  to  Galilee. 

The  Galileans  had  heard  of  his  exploit  at  the  Passover,  and 
exaggerated  stories  of  his  marvelous  powers  had  reached  them. 
These  patriots,  unlike  the  people  of  the  city,  welcomed  him  with 
open  arms. 

On  a  day  before  the  Sabbath,  in  early  May,  he  arrived  at 
Nazareth.  ...  As  soon  as  he  came  into  the  village  he  went 
about  to  see  his  brothers  and  his  old  friends  and  playmates.  But 
he  found  that,  even  during  his  short  absence,  they  had  changed 
toward  him.  No  longer  did  they  meet  him  with  the  same  frank 
friendship,  and,  while  they  were  evidently  all  longing  to  watch 
him  perform  some  wonder  in  the  village  square,  they  were  plainly 
jealous  and  suspicious  of  him. 
_      The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  95. 

Going  to  the  Home  Chwrch 
He  went  to  church  the  next  morning,  and  for  the  first  time  he 
accepted  the  invitation  to  ascend  the  platform  and  take  the  roll 
of  the  sacred  writings  in  his  hand  to  read  and  explain. 

The  women  were  in  the  rear  gallery  behind  a  screen,  so  that  the 
audience  that  was  in  sight  was  an  audience  of  men.  Some  were 
old  schoolmates,  others,  younger  men,  were  of  those  who  had 
been  down  to  the  Jordan  and  had  come  back  disgruntled.     There 

157. 


158      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

were  even  boys  crowded  close  to  the  platform  and  against  the 
wall.     All  awaited  him  with  eager  curiosity. 

It  had  now  been  nearly  a  year  since  his  atteudauce  at  the  vil- 
lage wedding  near  by.  There  he  had  first  shown  his  generous 
kindness,  in  far-off  Jerusalem  he  had  proclaimed  himself  as  a 
leader,  and  in  the  other  Galilean  towns,  and  even  in  despised 
Samaria  he  had  lingered.  But  in  Nazareth  he  had  never  spoken 
a  public  word  nor  done  a  deed  of  power.  Now  surely  he  was 
going  to  exhibit  his  prophetic  might  and  make  Nazareth  the 
ceutre  of  all  his  work. 

It  was  a  warm  springtime  day.  The  doors  were  opened  so  that 
those  who  could  not  crowd  in  could  hear.  The  blossoms  sent 
their  fragrance  within,  a  grape-vine  shaded  the  doorway  and  the 
house-doves  could  be  heard  cooing  in  the  eaves.  It  was  a  Sab- 
bath of  rest  and  peace. 

The  Boys^  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  96, 

Opening  the  Service 

He  began  the  service  of  the  morning  in  the  formulated  manner 
by  repeating  the  Jewish  liturgy.  This  was  one  of  the  prayers 
with  which  he  opened  that  Sabbath  meeting  in  the  Nazareth 
synagogue ; 

"Blessed  be  Thou,  O  Lord,  King  of  the  world,  who  formest 
the  lights  and  createst  the  darkness,  who  makest  peace  and 
Greatest  everything  ;  who  in  mercy  givest  light  to  the  earth,  and 
to  those  who  dwell  upon  it,  and  in  Thy  goodness  day  by  day  and 
every  day  renewest  the  works  of  creation.  Blessed  be  the  Lord 
our  God  for  the  glory  of  his  handiworks  and  for  the  light-giving 
lights  which  He  has  made  for  our  praise.  Selah.  Blessed  be  the 
Lord  our  God  who  has  formed  the  lights." 

The  inv^ocation  sounds  a  little  cold  or  dull  to  our  ears.  The 
young  preacher  of  that  summer  morning  was  accustomed  to  do  it 
reverence  ;  it  was  the  liturgy  of  his  church,  and  of  his  childhood  ; 
yet,  certain  public  prayers  of  his  own  uttered  later  in  the  course 
of  his  ministry,  and  immortal  to  human  needs  and  worship, 
indicate  something  of  the  distance  of  his  nature  from  the  formality 
to  which  he  deferred. 

He  deferred,  however,  and  he  conformed  to  the  customs  of  his 
church,  like  a  man  of  acquaintance  with  life,  up  to  a  certain 


DRIVEN  FEOM  THE  HOME  TOWN  159 

point.  When  he  reached  that  point  he  departed  promptly  and 
thoroughly.  He  followed  the  usual  order  of  exercise ;  another 
prayer  and  a  better  one  succeeding  the  first ;  then  came  the 
repetition  of  the  creed,  another  prayer  and  six  eulogies  or  bene- 
dictions ;  at  their  close  a  distinguished  rabbi  was  at  liberty  to 
add  certain  prayers  of  his  own  which  might  be  fixed  or  free.  At 
last  the  time  for  his  discourse  arrived.  The  sacred  roll  was  taken 
from  the  ark  and  handed  to  him  by  the  .  .  minister. 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  128. 

*' What  Can  He  Have  to  Say?" 

On  this  occasion  the  lesson  for  the  day  was  from  one  of  the 
greatest  of  Jewish  prophets.  Jesus  selected  as  his  text  from  Isaiah 
these  impressive  words : 

"  The  spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me  because  He  hath  anointed 
me  to  preach  the  good  tidings  to  the  poor  ;  ...  to  preach  re- 
lease to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set 
at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  proclaim  the  acceptable  year 
of  the  Lord." 

Having  read  the  text  in  Hebrew,  translating  as  he  went  into 
the  common  tongue,  he  gave  the  roll  back  to  the  minister,  and 
according  to  tlie  custom  of  his  church,  sat  down  to  preach. 

He  looked  for  a  moment  silently  over  his  audience.  Familiar 
faces  answered  his  gaze  with  curiosity  or  with  that  doubt  of  his 
ability  to  give  them  a  remarkable  sermon,  natural  to  a  man's 
fellow-townsmen  who  have  known  him  since  he  was  a  little  boy 
among  them.  "He  is  just  like  us.  What  can  he  have  to  say? 
There  must  be  some  mistake  about  this  ado  people  are  making 
over  him  in  other  places.  They  do  not  know  him  as  well  as  we 
do."  Polite  attention  could  not  hide  this  inevitable  mental  atti- 
tude from  so  keen  a  perception  as  his  who  now  addressed  them. 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  129. 

** To-day  This  Scripture  Is  Fulfilled!'* 
Coming  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought  up,  Jesus,  as 
was  his  custom,  went  on  the  Sabbath  into  the  synagogue,  and 
stood  up.  to  read  the  Scriptures.  The  book  given  him  was  that 
of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  ;  and  Jesus  opened  the  book  and  found  the 
place  where  it  says  — 


160      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

' '  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 
For  he  has  cousecrated  me  to  bring  good  news  to  the  poor, 
He  has  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  captives  and  restoration 
of  sight  to  the  blind, 

To  set  the  oppressed  at  liberty, 
To  proclaim  the  accepted  year  of  the  Lord." 

Then,  closing  the  book  and  returning  it  to  the  attendant,  he 
sat  down.  The  eyes  of  all  in  the  synagogue  were  fixed  upon  him, 
and  Jesus  began  : 

"This  very  day  this  passage  has  been  fulfilled  in  your 
hearing." 

All  who  were  present  spoke  well  of  him,  and  were  astonished 
at  the  beautiful  words  that  fell  from  his  lips. 

"  Is  not  he  Joseph's  son  *? "  they  asked. 

"Doubtless,"  said  Jesus,  "  you  will  remind  me  of  the  saying — 
'  Doctor,  cure  yourself ; '  and  you  will  say  '  Do  here  in  your  own 
country  all  that  we  have  heard  has  been  done  at  Capernaum.'  I 
tell  you,"  he  continued,  "that  no  prophet  is  acceptable  in  his 
own  country.  There  were,  doubtless,  many  widows  in  Israel  in 
Elijah's  days,  when  the  heavens  were  closed  for  three  years  and 
six  months,  and  a  severe  famine  prevailed  throughout  the  coun- 
try ;  and  yet  it  was  not  to  one  of  them  that  Elijah  was  sent,  but 
to  a  widow  at  Zarephath  in  Sidonia.  And  there  were  many 
lepers  in  Israel  in  the  time  of  the  Prophet  Elisha,  yet  it  was  not 
one  of  them  who  was  made  clean,  but  Naaman  the  Syrian." 

All  the  people  in  the  synagogue,  as  they  listened  to  this,  be- 
came enraged.  Starting  up,  they  drove  Jesus  out  of  the  town, 
and  led  him  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  on  which  their  town  stood, 
intending  to  hurl  him  down.  But  he  passed  through  the  middle 
of  the  crowd  and  went  on  his  way. 

Luke  iv.  16-30.   The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  112. 

His  Daring  Assumption  Startled  Them 

His  first  words  startled  them  disagreeably. 

"This  day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears,"  he  boldly 
said.     Then,  his  lips  being  unloosed,  he  poured  out  his  heart. 

He  maintained  the  astonishing  intimation  of  his  opening  sen- 
tence with  a  firmness  not  to  be  ignored  for  whatever  it  meant  in 
so  unobtrusive  a  man.     He  gave  his  audience  to  understand  that 


DRIVEN  FROM  THE  HOME  TOWN  161 

the  most  precious  tradition  and  hope  of  their  people  was  about  to 
be  verified.  The  great  messianic  expectation  in  which  they  all 
believed,  was  to  become  a  fact.  In  a  word,  he  himself  was  the 
fact. 

This  daring  assumption,  firmly  suggested,  was  received  with 
mixed  emotion  by  his  townsfolk.     Some  thought :  How  gracious 
his  mien  !    How  melodious  his  voice  !    How  agreeable  his  thought ! 
For  the  Jews  were  experts  in  the  criticism  of  religious  oratory. 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  130. 

**  Nobody  but  Jesws  the  Car pentef !  ** 
Jesus  was  about  to  continue  the  discourse  of  which  we  have 
only  a  fragment  reported.  Plainly,  he  had  more  to  say.  .  .  . 
But  hubbub  had  already  set  in.  Displeasure  grew  to  anger  j 
anger  mounted  into  rage.  The  pronounced  Jewish  features  of 
the  congregation  were  contorted  with  spite.  Whispers  rose  into 
audible  comments  :  "  Who  is  this  fellow,  after  all,  that  we  should 
sit  here  and  take  insolence  from  him  ?  Why,  nobody  but  Jesus 
— little  Jesus,  the  carpenter's  boy — we  have  seen  him  around, 
ever  since  he  could  walk.  He  used  to  play  with  my  boy.  He 
came  to  our  house  on  errands.  He  has  been  to  school  with  our 
children.  I  gave  him  an  order  once  to  make  me  a  table.  His 
father  sent  him  to  mend  our  chest.  He  has  sat  all  these  years  in 
this  very  synagogue,  and  known  his  place  and  kept  it.  .  .  . 
How  came  he  out  of  it  *?    Teach  it  to  him  !    Show  it  to  him  ! 

"  Nazareth  is  not  good  enough  for  him.  Jerusalem  was,  and 
Caperuaum  ;  and  even  little  Cana.  W^e  are  not  grand  enough 
for  him  to  show  off  his  signs  and  wonders,  and  other  eccentrici- 
ties. Get  rid  of  him,  and  his  airs  !  We  are  used  to  preachers, 
not  charlatans  in  this  synagogue.  Turn  him  out  of  it !  .  .  . 
Shall  this  carpenter  sit  there  and  talk  to  us  as  if  we  were  lepers 
and  Gentiles?" 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  132. 

A  Roar  of  Rage 
Then  he  took  up  plainly  their  complaint  because  he     .     .     . 
had  done  his  public  work  in  places  so  far  from  his  bringing  up. 
Boldly  he  answered  thai  they  themselves  had  already  driven  him 


162      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

to  this  step.  Did  he  not  love  Nazareth  ?  Did  he  not  long  to  do 
glorious  deeds  in  her  streets  ?  For  was  not  this  the  place  where 
he  had  studied  the  holy  books  ?  Was  not  Joseph  sleeping  here 
in  the  village  burying  ground  ? 

"But,"  he  said,  "a  prophet  is  never  wanting  honors  except 
in  his  own  country  and  among  his  own  folk."  And  he  reminded 
them  how  even  their  own  Elijah  was  forced  to  leave  his  own  laud 
to  work  in  Tyre,  and  Elisha  had  never  healed  anybody  but  a 
foreigner  and  he  a  leper. 

A  growl  of  anger  had  been  heard  while  he  was  saying  these 
words,  which,  when  he  began  to  appeal  to  his  audience  for  wit- 
ness to  the  truth  of  what  he  was  saying,  grew  into  a  roar  of  rage. 
The  disappointed  Nazarenes  could  stand  this  no  longer.  "Did 
the  carpenter's  son  think  they  were  less  worthy  than  Assyrian 
lepers  ?  Were  they  to  be  scorned  and  ignored  by  such  as  he,  a 
son  of  their  own  streets  ?  "     The  cougregatiou  became  a  mob. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  98. 

"Was  It  Possible  ? 
The  young  preacher  tried  once  or  twice  to  hush  the  clamor  ; 
but  it  had  swollen  to  a  stream  in  which,  before  one  might  know 
what  had  happened,  he  was  borne  along  like  a  broken  bough. 
Convulsed  with  quick  Oriental  passion,  his  townsfolk  tore  him 
from  the  lectern — they  were  many  and  determined — and  dragged 
him  along  down  the  aisle,  and  out  of  the  synagogue.  The  outer 
air  of  the  hot  summer  Sabbath  morning  smote  scorchiug  on  his 
grieved  face.  Whether  from  sheer  surprise,  helplessness,  or 
prudence,  he  tried  to  make  no  useless  resistance.  Immediately 
he  found  himself  near  the  edge  of  a  considerable  crowd  of  jjush- 
ing,  scowling,  howliug  men.  They  urged  him  along  virulently. 
In  a  very  short  time,  looking  straight  ahead  with  wide  aston- 
ished eyes,  he  perceived  that  he  was  rapidly  approaching  the 
mountainous  boundary  of  the  town.  He  remembered  the  near- 
est precipice — no  mean  gulf.  Was  it  probable  !  Was  it  iwssible  ? 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  134. 

As  if  Smitten  of  God 
When  the  real  purpose  of  the  rioters  became  manifest,  the  un- 
popular preacher  suddenly  turned  and  withstood  them  ; .  not  by 


DRIVEN  FROM  THE  HOME  TOWN  163 

blow,  or  buffet  ;  he  did  not  wrestle  or  strike  out  upon  them  as  an 
angry  and  imprudent  man  might  have  done.  He  defied  them 
by  the  finer  resistance  of  a  look.  He  stood  back  to  the  hills, 
whose  rounded  heads  and  shoulders  rose  high  above  the  shame- 
ful scene,  and  whose  bare  faces,  unveiled  in  the  hot  light,  seemed 
to  turn  away  from  the  sight  they  saw.     .     .     . 

Before  that  gesture  his  old  neighbors  began  to  move  back  from 
him  ;  not  a  man  of  them  could  have  said  why.  He  stood  still, 
defenseless  among  them  all,  there  on  the  edge  of  the  rock.  The 
chasm  gaped  below  ;  a  step  would  carry  a  man  over.  He  glanced 
down,  then  back  at  the  people,  then  began  slowly  to  advance 
upon  them. 

What  was  that  startling  change  upon  his  gentle  countenance  ? 
Only  a  few  times  in  his  life  was  it  witnessed  and  noted  :  but  no 
man  who  ever  saw  it  ever  withstood  it  or  forgot  it  to  his  last 
hour.  As  if  they  had  been  smitten  of  God  the  Nazarenes  fled  be- 
fore that  look.  The  crowd  wavered,  broke,  and  melted.  Jesus 
continued  to  advance  steadily  upon  it ;  passed  through  it ;  and 
went  his  way,  down  the  hot  village  street.  No  man  ventured  to 
molest  him — nay,  nor  to  address  him.  He  passed  on  silent,  and 
protected  in  the  unutterable  scorn  which  the  highest  may  put  be- 
tween itself  and  the  lowest  soul. 

He  passed  on,  and  out  from  Nazareth  ;  wherein  from  that  day 
he  never  made  his  home  again. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  135. 

Leaving  the  Home  of  His  Childhood 
And  so  He  left  them,  never  apparently  to  return  again  ;  never, 
if  we  are  right  in  the  view  here  taken,  to  preach  again  in  their 
little  synagogue.  Did  any  feelings  of  merely  human  regret  weigh 
down  His  soul  while  He  was  wending  His  weary  steps  down  the 
steep  hill-slope  towards  Cana  of  Galilee  ?  Did  any  tear  start  in 
His  eyes  unbidden  as  He  stood,  perhaps  for  the  last  time,  to  gaze 
from  thence  on  the  rich  plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  the  purple  heights 
of  Carmel,  and  the  white  sands  that  fringe  the  blue  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean  ?  Were  there  any  from  whom  He  grieved  to  be 
severed,  in  the  green  secluded  valley  where  His  manhood  had 
laboured,  and  His  childhood  played  ?  Did  He  cast  one  longing, 
lingering  glance  at  the  humble  home  in  which  for  so  many  years 


1G4      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

He  had  toiled  as  the  village  carpenter  ?  Did  no  companion  of 
His  innocent  boyhood,  no  friend  of  His  sinless  youth,  accompany 
Him  with  awe,  and  pity,  and  regret  ?  Such  questions  are  not, 
surely,  unnatural ;  not,  surely,  irreverent ; — but  they  are  not 
answered. 

Of  all  merely  human  emotions  of  His  heart,  except  so  far  as 
they  directly  affect  His  mission  upon  earth,  the  Gospels  are  silent. 
We  know  only  that  henceforth  other  friends  awaited  Him  away 
from  boorish  Nazareth,  among  the  gentle  and  noble-hearted 
fishermen  of  Bethsaida  ;  and  that  henceforth  His  home,  so  far  as 
He  had  a  home,  was  in  the  little  city  of  Capernaum,  beside  the 
sunlit  waters  of  the  Galilean  lake. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  228. 

Preaching  in  the  Neighboorhood 
But,  though  He  left  Nazareth  never  to  return.  He  remained  in 
the  neighbourhood  for  a  time,  preaching  in  the  villages  of  the 
great  plain  of  Esdraelon,  far  and  near.  The  whole  theatre  of 
His  activity,  however,  in  this  circuit,  as  in  previous  ones,  was 
limited  beyond  ordinary  conception.  From  north  to  south,  be- 
tween Chorazin,  above  Capernaum,  and  Jezreel,  in  the  great 
plain,  was  only  a  distance  of  ten  hours,  and  from  east  to  west, 
from  Chorazin  to  Cana,  or  Nazareth,  only  six  or  seven.  His 
whole  life  was  spent  in  a  space  represented  by  one  or  two  English 
counties,  but  the  seed  sown  on  this  speck  of  ground  is  yet  to  cover 
the  earth ! 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D,  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  165. 

Family  Estrangement 
It  seems  then,  that  after  leaving  Cana,  our  Lord  went  at  once 
to  Capernaum,  accompanied  apparently  by  His  mother  and  His 
brethren,  and  made  that  town  His  home.  His  sisters  were  prob- 
ably married,  and  did  not  leave  their  native  Nazareth ;  but  the 
dreadful  insult  which  Jesus  had  received  would  have  been  alone 
suflBcient  to  influence  His  family  to  leave  the  place,  even  if  they 
did  not  directly  share  in  the  odium  and  persecution  which  His 
words  had  caused.  Perhaps  the  growing  alienation  between 
Himself  and  them  may  have  been  due,  in  part,  to  this  circum- 
stance.   They  must  have  felt,  and  we  know  that  they  did  feel,  a 


DRIVEN  FROM  THE  HOME  TOWN  165 

deeply-seated  annoyance,  if,  refusing  to  admit  the  full  awfulness 
of  His  missiou,  and  entirely  disapproving  the  form  of  its  manifes- 
tation, they  yet  felt  themselves  involved  in  hatred  and  ruin,  as  a 
direct  consequence  of  His  actions. 

Certain  it  is  that,  although  apparently  they  were  living  at 
Capernaum,  their  home  was  not  His  home.  Home,  in  the  strict 
sense.  He  had  none ;  but  the  house  of  which  He  made  ordinary 
use  appears  to  have  been  that  which  belonged  to  His  chief 
apostle.  It  is  true  that  Simon  and  Andrew  are  said  to  have  be- 
longed to  Bethsaida,  but  they  may  easily  have  engaged  the  use 
of  a  house  at  Capernaum,  belonging  to  Peter's  mother-in-law  ;  or 
since  Bethsaida  is  little  more  than  a  suburb  or  part  of  Capernaum, 
they  may  have  actually  moved  for  the  convenience  of  their  Master 
from  the  one  place  to  the  other. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  8.,  Vol.  I,  p.  233. 

The  Galileans  "Welcomed  Him 

After  these  two  days  Jesus  went  on  to  Galilee ;  for  he  himself 
declared  that  "  a  prophet  is  not  honoured  in  his  own  country." 
When  he  entered  Galilee,  the  Galileans  welcomed  him,  for  they 
had  seen  all  that  he  did  at  Jerusalem  during  the  Festival,  at 
which  they  also  had  been  present. 

John  iv.  43-45.   The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  3Iodern  English,  p.  173, 

He  Went  to  Live  in  Capernawm 
And  he  came  down  to  Capernaum,  a  city  of  Galilee. — LuJce  iv.  SI. 

Now  when  he  heard  that  John  was  delivered  up,  he  withdrew 
into  Galilee ;  and  leaving  Nazareth,  he  came  and  dwelt  in 
Capernaum,  which  is  by  the  sea,  in  the  borders  of  Zebulun  and 
Naphtali :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  through 
Isaiah  the  prophet,  saying. 

The  land  of  Zebulun  and  the  land  of  Naphtali, 

Toward  the  sea,  beyond  the  Jordan, 

Galilee  of  the  Gentiles, 

The  people  that  sat  in  darkness 

Saw  a  great  light, 

And  to  them  that  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death, 

To  them  did  light  spring  up. 


166      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

From  that  time  began  Jesus  to  preach,  aud  to  say,  Eei^eut  ye  ; 
for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand. 
Matthew  iv.  12-17.     American  Revision. 

Accepting  Peter's  Invitation 

From  the  shores  of  the  lake,  Christ  went  to  the  house  of  Peter, 
accepting  his  invitation  to  share  his  hospitality. 

The  little  town  itself,  with  its  two  or  three  thousand  inhabitants, 
was  surrounded  by  a  wall,  and  lay  partly  along  the  shore  ;  some 
of  the  houses  close  to  the  water  ;  others  with  a  garden  between 
it  and  them.  The  black  lava,  or  basalt,  of  which  all  were  built, 
was  universally  whitewashed,  so  that  the  town  was  seen  to  fine 
effect,  from  a  distance,  through  the  green  of  its  numerous  trees 
and  gardens.  Peter's  household  consisted  of  his  wife,  and  her 
mother — doubtless  a  widow — whom  his  kindly  nature  had  brought 
to  this  second  home,  Andrew,  his  brother,  and,  now,  of  Jesus,  his 
guest.  James  and  John,  likely,  still  lived  with  their  father,  in 
Capernaum,  and  the  whole  four  still  followed  their  calling  in  the 
intervals  of  attending  their  new  Master. 

It  appears  to  have  been  on  a  Friday  that  Jesus  summoned 
Peter  and  his  companions.  The  day  passed,  doubtless,  in  further 
work  for  the  kingdom.  As  the  sun  set,  the  beginning  of  the 
Sabbath  was  announced  by  three  blasts  of  a  trumpet,  from  the 
roof  of  the  spacious  synagogue  of  the  town,  which  the  devout 
commandant  of  the  garrison,  though  not  a  Jew,  had  built  for  the 
people.  The  first  blast  warned  the  peasants,  in  the  far-stretching 
vineyards  and  gardens,  to  cease  their  toil  ;  the  second  was  the 
signal  for  the  townsfolk  to  close  their  business  for  the  week,  aud 
the  third,  for  all  to  kindle  the  holy  Sabbath  light,  which  was  to 
burn  till  the  sacred  day  was  past. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol,  II,  p.  1. 


XTI 
A  DAY'S  WORK  IN  CAPERNAUM 

'  Oue  of  the  clays  of  the  Son  of  Man. 

— Liilce  xvii.  22. 

Restoring  a  Maniac  to  His  Right  Mind 

He  then  proceeded  to  Capernaum ;  and  entering  the  synagogue 
ou  the  Sabbath,  He  taught.  And  they  were  astonished  at  his 
teaching  ;  for  his  manner  was  like  oue  possessed  of  authority,  and 
not  like  that  of  the  professors. 

There  was  also  in  the  synagogue  a  man  in  possession  of  a  foul 
spirit;  and  he  called  out,  exclaiming,  "Ah!  what  is  there  in 
common  between  us  and  You,  Jesus  of  Nazareth?  Have  You 
come  to  destroy  us  ?  I  know  You,  what  You  are,  the  Holy  of 
God." 

Jesus  then  commanded  him,  exclaiming, 

"  Silence  !  and  go  out  of  him  !  " 

And  the  foul  spirit,  convulsing  him,  and  shouting  with  a  loud 
voice,  left  him.  And  they  were  all  astonished,  so  that  they 
questioned  one  another,  saying, 

"Who  is  this"?  What  is  this  new  teaching'?  Why,  He  even 
commands  the  foul  spirits  authoritatively,  and  they  obey  Him  ! " 

And  the  report  concerning  him  rapidly  spread  throughout  the 
whole  region  of  Galilee. 

3Iarh  i.  21-28.     The  New  Tcdament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  67. 

A  Paroxysm  Seized  the  Crazy  Man 
The  service  had  gone  on  apparently  without  interrui)tion,  till 
Jesus  began  to  speak.  Then,  however,  a  i^aroxysm  seized  the 
unhappy  man.  Rising  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation,  a  wild 
howl  of  demoniacal  frenzy  burst  from  him,  that  must  have  frozen 
the  blood  of  all  with  horror.  "Ha !  "  yelled  the  demon.  "  What 
have  we  to  do  with  Thee,  Jesus,  the  Nazarene  ?  Thou  comest  to 
destroy  us !  I  know  Thee,  who  Thou  art,  the  Holy  Oue  of 
God  !  " 

167 


168      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Among  the  crowd  Jesus  alone  remained  calm.  He  would  not 
have  acknowledgment  of  His  Messiahship  from  such  a  source. 

"Hold  thy  peace,"  said  He  indignantly,  "and  come  out  of 
him." 

The  spirit  felt  its  Master,  and  that  it  must  obey,  but,  demon  to 
the  last,  threw  the  man  down  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation, 
tearing  him  as  it  did  so,  and,  then,  with  a  wild  howl,  fled  out  of 
him.  Nothing  could  have  happened  better  fitted  to  impress  the 
audience  favourably  towards  Jesus.  This  new  teaching,  said  they 
amongst  themselves,  is  with  authority.  It  carries  its  warrant 
with  it. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  5. 

Outside  the  Synagogue 

In  the  vestibule  were  .  .  .  two  .  .  .  rabbis  in  earnest 
conversation  with  some  of  the  church  officers.  Several,  prompted 
by  curiosity,  joined  the  circle,  and  their  attention  was  manifestly 
divided  between  what  was  going  on  without  and  what  within. 
"  By  your  leave,  you  leaders  of  the  congregation,"  said  one  of  the 
rabbis,  "you  will  soon  show  whose  honour  is  most  cherished  by 
you — that  of  your  teachers  or  that  of  this  ignorant  fellow  ?  " 

"  If  he  only  had  not  settled  himself  down  in  Capernaum  ! "  re- 
plied one  of  the  leaders  ;  "we  are  in  terrible  perplexity." 

"Not  only  that,"  added  the  other,  "but  there  is  a  higher 
power  to  whom  we  must  give  account ;  it  is  that  which  makes  us 
timid." 

"How,"   shrieked  the  second  rabbi,    "you  are  still   leaning 

towards  both  sides  !     Do  you  not  know  what  the  law  says,  '  If 

thy  brother,  the  son  of  thy  mother,     .     .     .     entice  thee  to  serve 

•  other  gods,  thine  eye  shall  not  pity  him,  neither  shalt  thou  spare 

him  ?' " 

Upon  this,  one  standing  upon  the  threshold  exclaimed,  "He  is 
not  an  idolater  ;  he  honours  the  God  of  Israel  by  his  words  and 
works." 

"  No,  it  is  not  so  ;  he  deserves  not  only  excommunication  but 
something  worse,  for  he  makes  himself  God,"  cried  out  both  the 
rabbis  as  with  one  voice. 

"You  do  not  understand  him,"  replied  the  man,  and  then 
turning  to  those  standing  outside,  he  exclaimed,  "  Men  of  Caper- 


Copyright,   J.   J.    Tissot,    iSq6-T 
THE   COMING   OF   THE   HEALER 


A  DAY'S  WORK  IN  CAPERNAUM  169 

naum,  these  Jerusalemites  have  come  here  to  bribe  us  to  become 
the  murderers  of  this  innocent  man  ! "  The  crowd  around  these 
men  grew  larger  when  the  two  rabbis  withdrew,  .  .  .  utter- 
ing execrations  upon  the  ignorance  of  the  Galileans. 

A  Day  in  Capernaum,  Franz  Delitzsch,  Translated   by  J,  G.  Morris  and 
W.  W.,  p.  154. 

**  Torn  Yowr  Eyes  Away !  You  Will  Be  Bewitched  ** 
"  By  the  God  of  Israel,  that  is  the  King  Messias  !  "  And  an  old 
man  impressed  the  seal  upon  this  exclamation  by  saying  in  a 
decided  tone,  .  .  .  "It  is  he."  Upon  this  the  two  Jeru- 
salemites constrained  as  many  of  the  company  as  they  could  to 
leave,  by  crying  out,  "  Turn  your  eyes  away  :  woe  unto  you,  you 
will  be  bewitched  ! ' ' 

A  Day  in  Capernaum,  Franz  Delitzsch,  Translated  by  J.  G.  Morris,  p.  234. 

**He  Is  Coming!  He  Is  Coming  !** 
Just  at  this  time  the  attention  of  all  .  .  .  was  enchained 
by  the  appearance  of  Jesus.  A  crowd  of  children  preceded  him, 
and  another  followed  him.  Their  behaviour  amid  all  the  manifes- 
tation of  curiosity  was  more  timid  than  bold.  They  did  not 
venture  to  approach  too  near,  and  they  spoke  more  by  signs  than 
words. 

But  the  crowd  in  front  of  him,  having  reached  the  public 
square,  raised  a  shout  of  triumph,  "He  is  coming  !  he  is  com- 
ing ! "  and  rushed  tumultuously  ...  to  secure  a  favourable 
position  to  gratify  their  curiosity.  The  multitude  of  men  and 
women  in  the  place  became  suddenly  silent,  as  though  they  were 
expecting  a  festal  procession.  And  as  Jesus  now  turned  the 
corner  of  the  street  which  led  to  this  public  square,  all  eyes  were 
fastened  upon  him.  The  crowd  of  children  which  followed  him 
lost  themselves  behind  the  row  of  spectators  [which]  formed  a  sort 
of  lane  through  which  he  passed.  All  those  before  whom  he  had 
passed  now  mingled  in  one  mass  and  became  a  growing  retinue 
every  step  he  took.  Kindness  .  lightened  up  the  usually  sad 
expression  of  his  countenance.  He  looked  neither  up  nor  down, 
but  straight  before  him  ;  but  often,  from  the  right  or  the  left,  a 
sincere  .  .  salutation  was  heard,  he  turned  himself  sidewise 
and  acknowledged  it  by  a  wonderfully  gracious  brightening  of 
his  face.     .     .    . 


170      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

A  ragged  beggar  knelt  before  him  as  he  passed,  and  kissed  the 
hem  of  his  garment.  Some  of  the  larger  of  the  children  who  had 
secured  places  at  the  gate,  had  lifted  their  little  brothers  and 
sisters  up  on  their  shoulders,  that  they  might  have  a  better  view 
of  the  great  Miracle-Man.  Some,  more  bold,  had  climbed  up  the 
columns  and  window-cornices.  The  nearer  he  apx)roached,  the 
more  silent  became  the  young  people,  but  the  little  ones  perched 
upon  the  shoulders  of  their  brothers  could  not  be  prevented  from 
shouting  and  making  boisterous  demonstrations. 

A   Day  in  Capernaum,  Frauz  Delitzscb,  Translated  by  J.  G.  Morris  and 
W.  W.,  pp.  157-160. 

The  Benign  Figure  of  the  Great  Physician 
But  now  into  the  midst  of  all  this  .  came  the  benign  figure 
of  the  Great  Physician,  divine  love,  sympathy,  tenderness  and 
healing  flowing  from  his  eyes  and  his  outstretched  hands,  even  as 
the  fragrance  pours  forth  from  the  cup  of  a  lily.  And  as  he 
moved  among  the  wretched  beings,  and  touched  one  here  and 
there,  laying  his  hands  on  others  with  words  of  forgiveness  and 
peace,  the  moans  and  shrieks  changed  to  cries  of  rejoicing  and 
relief.  Already  many  were  going  happily  away,  to  make  room 
for  others  who  were  still  coming  from  everj"^  quarter.     .     .     . 

"  He  is  here,"  said  [a  young  man]  joyfully,  clasping  the  hand 
of  the  blind  man  closer.  "  And  many,  oh,  many  others  are  here 
to  be  healed  ;  and  some  are  going  away  well,"  he  continued. 

And  indeed  the  quick  ear  of  the  blind  man  had  already  caught 
the  exclamations  of  thanksgiving,  amid  the  babel  of  sound,  and, 
breaking  away  from  the  hands  that  still  held  him,  he  ran  with  a 
quick  instinct  to  a  little  open  space  where  Jesus  had  paused  for 
an  instant,  and  throwing  himself  on  his  knees,  caught  him  by  the 
garment,  and  cried  out  loudly  : 

"Jesus,  Miister  !     I  beseech  thee  to  have  mercy  on  me  !  " 
And  he  answered  :  "  Believest  thou  I  am  able  to  do  this?  " 
"I  believe,"  murmured  the  man,  turning  his  sightless  eyes  up 
to  the  face  above  him. 

Jesus,  looking  at  him,  beheld  behind  the  blind  eyes  the  soul 
stained  with  guilt,  weary  with  suffering,  and  hungry  for  love  ; 
and  touching  his  eyes,  he  said,  "  Go  in  peace." 
And  the  blind  man  was  blind  no  longer.    He  saw  ;  and  his  first 


A  DAY'S  WORK  IN  CAPERNAUM  171 

vision  was  of  tliat  face  full  of  compassion  and  tenderness.  Then 
was  his  soul  stirred  with  a  mighty  love  for  the  Healer.  And  he 
rose  up  and  went  away,  as  he  was  bidden,  carrying  with  him  a 
memory  destined  to  become  a  j)erpetual  fountain  of  blessing  to 
himself  and  others,  through  time  and  eternity. 

Titus,  a  Comrade  of  the  Cross,  Florence  M.  Kingsley,  p.  16. 

They  Tell  Him  of  Peter's  Mother-in-Law 
And  straightway,  when  they  were  come  out  of  the  synagogue, 
they  came  into  the  house  of  Simon  and  Andrew,  with  James  and 
John.  Now  Simon's  wife's  mother  lay  sick  of  a  fever  ;  and 
straightway  they  tell  him  of  her  :  and  he  came  and  took  her  by 
the  hand,  and  raised  her  up  ;  and  the  fever  left  her,  and  she  min- 
istered unto  them. 

Ilark  i.  29-31.     American  Revision. 

A  Violent  Attack  of  the  Local  Fevet 
.  His  day's  work  of  mercy  had  only  begun.  Arriving  at  his 
modest  home,  He  found  the  mother  of  Peter's  wife  struck  down 
with  a  violent  attack  of  the  local  fever  for  which  Capernaum  had 
so  bad  a  notoriety.  The  quantity  of  marshy  land  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, especially  at  the  entrance  of  the  Jordan  into  the  Lake, 
has  made  fever  of  a  very  malignant  type  at  times  the  character- 
istic of  the  locality,  so  that  the  physicians  would  not  allow 
Josephus,  when  hurt  by  his  horse  sinking  in  the  neighbouring 
marsh,  to  sleep  even  a  single  night  in  Capernaum,  but  hurried 
him  on  to  Tarichtea. 

It  was  not  to  be  thought  that  He  who  had  just  sent  joy  and 
healing  to  the  heart  of  a  stranger,  would  withhold  His  aid  when 
a  friend  required  it.  The  anxious  relatives  forthwith  besought 
His  help,  but  the  gentlest  hint  would  have  sufficed. 

It  mattered  not  that  it  was  fever :  He  was  forthwith  in  the 
chamber,  bending  over  the  sick  woman,  and  rebuking  the  disease 
as  if  it  had  been  an  evil  personality,  He  took  her  by  the  hand, 
doubtless  with  a  look,  and  with  words,  which  made  her  His  for- 
ever, and  gently  raising  her,  she  found  the  fever  gone  and  health 
and  strength  returned,  so  that  she  could  prepare  their  midday 
meal  for  her  household  and  their  wondrous  Guest. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  5. 


172      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

A  Paralyzed  Man  Cartfed  by  Font  Friends 

Then  came  four  men  bearing  a  man  entirely  lame  upon  a  litter, 
which  was  fastened  to  ropes  wound  round  their  shoulders.  It 
was  evident  that  they  had  come  a  considerable  distance  and  had 
borne  the  whole  burden  of  the  morning  heat.  They  came  too 
late  to  secure  entrance  to  Jesus.  To  press  through  a  closely 
packed  mass  of  people  was  utterly  impossible.  Then  they  went 
around  the  house  and  happily  found  behind  it  a  ladder  leaning 
against  it,  which  was  just  high  enough  to  reach  to  the  railing 
around  it,  and  thus  to  enable  them  to  mount  the  flat  roof. 

After  the  sick  man  had  given  his  consent  to  be  lifted  up,  one 
of  the  men  first  ascended.  Then  the  patient  was  bound  fast  to 
the  mattress  with  the  ropes.  A  second  one  mounted  the  ladder 
to  hand  to  the  one  already  up  the  two  ends  of  the  rope,  and  then 
ascended  himself.  Then  the  two  drew  up  the  sick  man,  whilst 
the  other  two  still  below  supported  the  burden  as  far  as  their 
own  height  reached,  and  gave  it  the  proper  direction.  When  it 
had  been  drawn  up,  they  also  leaped  upon  the  roof. 

When  they  had  all  safely  secured  this  position,  one  of  them 
descended  the  stairs  which  led  from  the  roof  to  the  back  chamber, 
and  from  this  place  he  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus.  In  perfect 
silence  the  crowd  stood  around  him,  while  his  richly  toned  voice 
filled  the  whole  apartment.  Its  clear  ring  enlisted  the  profound 
attention  of  every  one,  for  he  poured  ont  his  whole  soul  in  its 
tones,  while  his  countenance  and  whole  demeanour  gave  added 
vigor  to  the  force  of  his  words. 

The  man  who  had  descended  the  stairs  listened  and  looked, 
and  forgot  himself  in  the  deep  interest  which  the  speaking  of 
Jesus  awakened  in  him.  The  sick  man  above  impatiently  asked, 
"  What  is  to  become  of  me  ?  " 

When  the  three  others  had  beckoned  their  companion  to  return, 
they  all  agreed  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  carry  the  sick  man 
down  the  narrow  stairway. 

"There  is  no  other  way,"  said  they,  "  than  to  tear  off  the  roof 
and  let  him  down  through  the  aperture  ;  but  that  would  be  tak- 
ing an  improper  liberty  with  another  man's  property,  and,  be- 
sides, it  is  a  neck-breaking  adventure. " 

"Let  me  down,"  exclaimed  the  sick  man,  "  I  will  be  satisfied 
if  I  can  only  be  brought  to  lie  at  his  feet,  living  or  dead,  and 


A  DAY'S  WORK  IN  CAPERNAUM  173 

we  will  pay  the  owner  of  the  house  well  for  all  the  damage 
we  do." 

A   Day  in  Capernaum,  Frauz  Delitzsch,  Translated  by  J.  G.  Morris  and 
W.  W.,  pp.  84-87. 

He  Was  Lowered  Carefully 
In  another  moment  a  dozen  willing  hands  were  at  work.     A 
very  short  time  sufficed  to  make  a  considerable  aperture  ;  and 
through  it  they  quickly  made  preparations  to  lower  the  bed  con- 
taining the  sick  man.     .     .     . 

"Now  then — take  a  firm  hold!"     .     .     .     and  grasping  the 
ropes    .     .     .     which  were  carefully  knotted  to  the  bed,  the  sick 
man  was  lowered  carefully  and  steadily  through  the  opening. 
Titus,  a  Comrade  of  the  Cross,  Florence  M.  Kingsley,  p.  25. 

**  Rabbi,  Rabbi !  a  Sick  Man  Is  G)ming  down !  ** 

The  noise  occasioned  by  this  tedious  operation  upon  the  roof 
had  already  attracted  the  attention  of  the  crowd  in  the  room 
below.  But  the  overwhelming  and  fascinating  power  of  the 
speaker  was  so  great  that  there  was  no  disturbance  of  the  meet- 
ing. But  when  the  litter  appeared  over  the  heads  of  the  congre- 
gation, they  were  struck  with  amazement  which  presently  gave 
utterance  to  the  exclamation,  "  Rabbi,  rabbi  !  a  sick  man  is  com- 
ing down." 

"Behold  their  faith,"  said  Jesus,  as  he  looked  upward. 
"  Help  them  support  the  sick  man,  that  he  fall  not." 

Upon  this  the  men  who  were  standing  near  Jesus  by  the  cistern 
extended  their  arms,  took  hold  of  the  litter,  and,  as  the  ropes 
were  not  long  enough  to  let  down  to  the  floor,  they  untied  them, 
and  with  their  own  hands  set  the  litter,  with  the  poor  man 
stretched  out  upon  it,  before  the  feet  of  Jesus. 

The  excitement  occasioned  by  this  interruption  was  very  great, 
for  when  Jesus  had  heretofore  healed  the  sick,  it  was  done  silently 
and  privately,  and  for  the  most  part  when  very  few  besides  the 
sick  person  were  present. 

A  Day  in  Capernaum,  Franz  Delitzsch,  Translated  by  J.  G.  Morris,  p.  92. 

**My  Child,  Thy  Sins  Are  Forgiven  *' 
The  Master  had  been  sitting  as  he  talked,  but  had  now  risen 
and,  stooping  over,  he  [gazed  intently  into  the  face  of  the  sick 


174      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

inau.  In  those  pale,  piucbed  features  aud  appealing  eyes,  he 
read  his  whole  pathetic  story.  Laying  his  hand  uj)on  the  sufferer 
tenderly,  he  said  : 

"  My  child,  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee." 

Instantly  there  arose  a  murmur  in  the  room.  The  words,  "  He 
blasphemeth  ! "  "God  alone  can  forgive  sins!"  "God  will 
smite  him  ! "  came  from  one  aud  another  of  the  bearded  and 
turbaned  rabbis  who  sat  about.  Then  the  Master  raised  himself 
up,  aud  looking  upon  them  with  the  eye  of  omniscience,  said 
slowly  : 

' '  What  reason  ye  in  your  hearts  ?  Whether  is  easier,  to  say, 
*  Thy  sius  be  forgiven  thee '  ;  or  to  say,  '  Eise  up  aud  walk '  ? 
But  that  ye  may  know  that  the  Son  of  man  hath  power  upon 
earth  to  forgive  sins," — turning  to  the  sick  man — "  I  say  unto 
thee,  Arise,  and  take  up  thy  couch,  and  go  unto  thy  house." 

"  And  immediately  he  rose  up  before  them  all,  and  took  up 
that  whereon  he  lay,  aud  departed  to  his  own  house,  glorifying 
God.  And  they  were  all  amazed,  and  they  glorified  God,  and 
were  filled  with  fear,  saying,  We  have  seen  strange  things 
to-day." 

Titus,  a  Comrade  of  the  Crosf<,  Florence  M,  Kiugsley,  p.  25. 

All  Eyes  and  Ears 

The  men  upon  the  bench  lowered  their  heads  in  furious  amaze- 
ment and  looked  imj)atiently  upon  the  ground.  A  breathless 
silence  j)ervaded  the  whole  assembly.  All  eyes  were  steadfastly 
fixed  upon  the  sick  man,  and  the  four  still  uj^on  the  roof  were 
all  eyes  and  ears  for  all  that  happened  below.  They  had  looked 
for  some  extraordinary  display  on  the  part  of  Jesus,  but  when  it 
suddenly  took  this  turn  they  were  quite  stupefied  as  when  a 
sudden  crash  of  thunder  follows  the  lightning. 

The  poor  paralytic  certainly  heard  the  sound  of  the  words,  but 
as  yet  there  was  want  of  will  to  carry  them  into  execution.  The 
process  of  nature  called  forth  by  the  miraculous  power  of  the 
word  gradually  developed  itself,  and  the  look  of  Jesus  fixed  upon 
the  patient,  followed  the  operation  of  the  word  from  step  to  step. 
The  stiffness  of  his  limbs  began  to  relax,  the  muscles  again  quiv- 
ered, feeling  aud  the  j)ower  of  motion  returned,  and  as  he  became 
conscious  that  his  insensible  aud  motionless  limbs  could  obey  his 


Copyright,  J.  J.  Tiss-yl,  1896-7 
AT   SUNSET   BY   THE    LAKE    SHORE 


A  DAY'S  WORK  IN  CAPERNAUM  175 

will,  lie  raised  himself,  to  his  own  astonishment,  still  higher  and 
higher,  gaining  self-confidence  all  the  while,  until  he  finally 
stood  upright,  and,  extending  his  hands,  sunk  upon  his  knees, 
and  bent  down  toward  his  Deliverer.  But  Jesus  stepped  back 
and  pointed  to  the  bed.  He  then  took  up  the  bed  and  held  it 
before  him  so  that  his  view  of  Jesus  might  not  be  intercepted. 
He  walked  backwards,  without  losing  sight  of  his  Saviour 
through  the  crowd,  which  formed  a  lane  leading  to  the  door  of 
the  house  out  of  which  he  passed. 

A   Day  in   Capernaum,  Frauz  Delitzsch,  Translated  by  J.  G.  Morris  and 
W.  W.,  pp.  102-105. 

The  Effect  Was  Electric 

For  the  time  [the  rabbis  from  Jerusalem]  were  helpless,  in 
the  presence  of  so  much  enthusiasm  for  Jesus,  but  this  only  in- 
creased their  bitterness,  on  their  finding  that  He  had  kept  His 
eyes  on  them,  and  knew  their  thoughts.     .     .     . 

The  effect  was  electric.  The  scribes  were,  for  the  time,  dis- 
comfited. Amazement  and  fear  mingled  with  religious  awe. 
"We  never  saw  it  thus,"  cried  some,  while  others,  with  true 
Eastern  demonstrativeness,  broke  out  into  praise  of  God  who 
had  given  such  power  to  men.  Meanwhile,  Jesus  glided  out 
of  the  apartment,  sad  at  heart,  for  the  shadow  of  the  cross  had 
fallen  on  His  soul. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  26, 

**  This  Evening,  down  at  the  Shore  !  ** 
The  people  anxiously  waited  some  time  to  see  [what  would 
happen  next].  The  two  Jerusalemites  passed  out  before  him  and 
remained  standing  outside  to  see  whatever  else  might  occur. 
When  the  assembly  broke  up,  Jesus  tried  to  go  out  unobserved, 
but  that  was  not  possible.  The  people  stood  back  timidly  and 
reverentially,  and  thus  made  an  open  passage  for  him.  But  a 
youth  advanced  towards  him,  and  in  a  low  and  trembling  tone 
asked,  "  Lord,  hast  thou  no  word  for  us  to-day  V\ 

"Come  down  to  the  lake  soon  after  sundown,"  he  replied  in 
an  equally  subdued  tone.     No  sooner  had  he  escaped  from  the 
view  of  the  crowd,  than  the  word  went  from  mouth  to  mouth, 
"  This  evening,  down  at  the  lake  shore  !  " 
A  Day  in  Capernaum,  Franz  Delitzsch,  Translated  by  J.  G,  Morris,  p.  167. 


176      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

A  Great  Multitude  Followed  Him  about 
And  he  came  down  with  them,  and  stood  on  a  level  place,  and 
a  great  multitude  of  his  disciples,  and  a  great  number  of  the 
people  from  all  Judea  and  Jerusalem,  and  the  sea  coast  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  who  came  to  hear  him,  and  to  be  healed  of  their  dis- 
eases ;  and  they  that  were  troubled  with  unclean  spirits  were 
healed.  And  all  the  multitude  sought  to  touch  him  j  for  power 
came  forth  from  him,  and  healed  them  all. 
Luke  vi.  17-19,     American  Revision. 

The  Excitement  Increased 

The  strict  laws  of  the  Jewish  sabbath  gave  a  few  hours  of  rest 
to  all,  but  the  blast  of  the  trumpet  which  announced  its  close  was 
the  signal  for  a  renewal  of  the  popular  excitement,  nor  increased 
by  the  rumor  of  a  second  miracle. 

With  the  setting  of  the  sun,  it  was  once  more  lawful  to  move 
beyond  the  two  thousand  paces  of  a  sabbath  day's  journey,  and 
to  carry  whatever  burdens  one  pleased.  Forthwith,  began  to 
gather  from  every  street,  and  from  the  thickly  sown  towns  and 
villages  round,  the  strangest  assemblage.  The  child  led  its  blind 
father  as  near  the  enclosure  of  Simon's  house  as  the  throng  per- 
mitted :  the  father  came  carrying  the  sick  child  ;  men  bore  the 
helpless  in  swinging  hammocks;  "all  that  had  any  sick,  with 
whatever  disease,"  brought  them  to  the  great  Healer.  The  whole 
town  was  in  motion,  and  crowded  before  the  house.  AVhat  the 
sick  of  even  a  small  town  implied  may  be  imagined.  Fevers, 
convulsions,  asthma,  wasting  consumption,  swollen  dropsy,  shak- 
ing palsy,  the  deaf,  the  dumb,  the  brain-affected,  and,  besides 
all,  "many  that  were  possessed  with  devils,"  that  last,  worst 
symptom  of  the  despairing  misery  and  dark  confusion  of  the 
times. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D,  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  6. 

They  Crawled  and  Crowded  to  His  Feet 
Precisely  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  and  no  visitors  were 
there,  he  proceeded  as  usual  to  attend  to  his  patients.  They 
crawled  and  crowded  to  his  feet.  He  gave  to  each  case  his 
habitual  attention,  patiently  individualizing,  as  he  always  did 
(for  this  was  one  of  the  minor  secrets  of  his  success  in  healing). 


A  DAY'S  WORK  IN  CAPERNAUM  177 

and  following  one  cure  by  another  with  an  enthusiasm  which  no 
form  of  disease  and  no  accumulation  of  its  drain  upon  his  strength 
seemed  ever  to  check. 

When  the  healer  had  finished  his  work  for  the  day,  the  preacher 
began  his.  The  morning's  cures  were  followed  by  one  of  his  im- 
passioned religious  addresses. 

The  Story  of  Jems  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  184. 

Offended  at  the  Popular  Favour  Shown  to  Jesus 
The  rabbis  from  the  capital,  reverend  and  grey,  did  not  know 
■whether  to  be  more  bitter  at  the  discredit  thrown  on  their  own 
claims  to  supernatural  powers,  or  at  the  popular  favour  shown  to 
Jesus.  He  cast  out  devils,  indeed,  but  so  did  they,  and  their  dis- 
ciples, the  exorcists. 

It  was  enough  for  Him,  however,  to  speak,  and  the  sufferer 
was  cured  of  all  ailments  alike,  while  they  used  adjurations, 
spells,  and  magic  formulae  which  were  dangerously  like  the 
superstitions  of  the  despised  heathens.  They  laid  stress  on  their 
knowledge  of  the  secret  names  of  God  and  the  angels. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  130. 

They  Knew  He  Was  the  Christ 
And  when  the  sun  was  setting,  all  they  that  had  any  sick  with 
divers  diseases  brought  them  unto  him ;  and  he  laid  his  hands  on 
every  one  of  them,  and  healed  them.  And  demons  also  came  out 
from  many,  crying  out,  and  saying.  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God. 
And  rebuking  them,  he  suffered  them  not  to  speak,  because  they 
knew  that  he  was  the  Christ. 

Luke  iv.  40,  41.     American  Revision. 

The  Treasures  They  Had  Almost  Lost 
It  was  evening.  The  sun  was  setting,  and  the  Sabbath  past. 
All  that  day  it  had  been  told  from  home  to  home  what  had  been 
done  in  the  synagogue  ;  it  had  been  whispered  what  had  taken 
place  in  the  house  of  their  neighbour  Simon.  This  one  conviction 
had  been  borne  in  upon  them  all,  that  ^^with  authority  "  He  spake, 
with  authority  and  power  He  commanded  even  the  unclean 
spirits,  and  they  obeyed.  No  scene  more  characteristic  of  the 
Christ  than  that  on  this  autumn  evening  at  Capernaum.     One  by 


178      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

one  the  stars  bad  shone  out  over  the  tranquil  lake  and  the  festive 
city,  lighting  up  earth's  darkness  with  heaven's  soft  brilliancy, 
as  if  they  stood  there  witnesses,  that  God  had  fulfilled  His  good 
promise  to  Abraham. 

On  that  evening  no  one  in  Capernaum  thought  of  business, 
pleasure,  or  rest.  There  must  have  been  many  homes  of  sorrow, 
care,  and  sickness  there,  and  in  the  populous  neighbourhood 
around.  To  them,  to  all,  had  the  door  of  hope  now  been  opened. 
Truly,  a  new  Sun  had  risen  on  them,  with  healing  in  His  wings. 
No  disease  too  desperate,  when  even  the  demons  owned  the 
authority  of  His  mere  rebuke.  From  all  parts  they  bring  them  : 
Mothers,  widows,  wives,  fathers,  children,  husbands — their  loved 
ones,  the  treasures  they  had  almost  lost ;  and  the  whole  city 
throngs — a  hushed,  solemnised,  overawed  multitude — expectant, 
waiting  at  the  door  of  Simon's  dwelling.  There  they  laid  them, 
along  the  street  up  to  the  market-place,  on  their  beds  ;  or  brought 
them  with  a  beseeching  look  and  word. 

What  a  symbol  of  this  world's  misery,  need,  and  hope  ;  what  a 
symbol,  also,  of  what  the  Christ  really  is  as  the  Consoler  in  the 
world's  manifold  woe  !  Never,  surely,  was  He  more  truly  the 
Christ ;  nor  is  He  in  symbol  more  truly  such  to  us  and  to  all 
time,  than  when,  in  the  stillness  of  that  evening,  under  the  star- 
lit sky.  He  went  through  that  suffering  throng,  laying  His  hands 
in  the  blessing  of  healing  on  every  one  of  them,  and  casting  out 
many  devils.  No  picture  of  the  Christ  more  dear  to  us,  than  this 
of  the  unlimited  healing  of  whatever  disease  of  body  or  soul. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  486. 

No  Repose  to  Body  or  Mind 

The  night  which  followed  this  busy  and  eventful  Sabbath 
brought  no  repose  to  His  body  or  mind.  The  excitement  around 
agitated  and  disturbed  Him.  It  was  His  first  triumphant  suc- 
cess, for,  in  the  south.  He  had  met  with  little  sympathy,  though 
He  had  attracted  crowds.  But  curiosity  was  not  progress,  and 
excitement  was  not  conversion.  Lowliness  and  concealment,  not 
noisy  throngs,  were  the  true  conditions  of  His  work,  and  of  its 
firmest  establishment,  and  lasting  glory.  Mere  popularity  was, 
moreover,  a  renewed  temptation,  for,  as  a  man,  He  was  suscep- 


A  DAY'S  WORK  IN  CAPERNAUM  179 

tible  of  the  same  temptations  as  His  brethren.  He  might  be 
drawn  aside  to  think  of  Himself,  and  to  His  holy  soul  the  faint- 
est approach  to  this  was  a  surrender  to  evil.  Rising  from  His 
couch,  therefore,  while  the  deep  darkness  which  precedes  the 
dawn  still  rested  on  hill  and  valley.  He  left  the  house  so  quietly 
that  no  one  heard  Him,  and  went,  once  more,  to  the  solitudes  of 
the  hills  behind  the  town. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunniugliam  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  9. 

Silent  Communion  with  the  Father 
After  one  of  His  days  of  loving  and  ceaseless  toil,  Jesus,  as  was 
His  wont,  found  rest  and  peace  in  prayer.  ''He  went  out  into  a 
mountain  " — or,  as  it  should  rather  be  rendered,  into  the  moun- 
tain— "to  pray,  and  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God." 
There  is  something  affecting  beyond  measure  in  the  thought  of 
these  lonely  hours  ;  the  absolute  silence  and  stillness,  broken  by 
no  sounds  of  human  life,  but  only  by  the  hooting  of  the  nightjar 
or  the  howl  of  the  jackal  ;  the  stars  of  an  eastern  heaven  raining 
their  large  lustre  out  of  the  unfathomable  depth ;  the  figure  of  the 
Man  of  Sorrows  kneeling  upon  the  dewy  grass,  and  gaining 
strength  for  His  labours  from  the  purer  air,  the  more  open 
heaven,  of  that  intense  and  silent  communing  with  His  Father 
and  His  God. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederio  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  249. 

**My  Father  Works,  and  I  Work  ** 
Such  is  the  picture  of  a  day  in  the  life  of  Christ  which  was  de- 
voted to  the  work  of  public  teaching  :  ''  One  of  the  days  of  the 
Son  of  Man." 

If,  however,  we  turn  to  an  earlier  chapter  of  St.  Matthew's 
Gospel — the  ninth — we  find  from  the  first  to  the  twenty-sixth 
verses  an  account  of  a  day  in  Christ's  life  .  varied,  and  . 
irai)ressive  in  the  sense  it  gives  us  of  the  intense  and  yet  deliber- 
ate energy  with  which  He  lived.  Among  many  things  in  Christ's 
mode  of  thought  strikingly  at  variance  with  Oriental  ideas  is 
His  habitual  conception  of  life  as  labour  and  endeavour.  He 
speaks  of  work  as  composing  the  rhythm  of  the  universe  :  *'My 
Father  works,  and  I  work. " 

The  Life  of  CArisf,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  150. 


XIII 

SAYING  THE  SABBATH 

He  who  ordained  the  Sabbath  loves  the  poor. 

— Dr.  Holmes. 

The  Man  at  Bethesda  Bath 

After-  this  there  was  a  Jucleau  festival ;  and  Jesus  went  up  to 
Jerusalem.  Now  there  is  in  Jerusalem,  near  the  sheep-market,  a 
public  bath,  called  in  Hebrew,  Bethesda,  having  five  covered 
walks,  in  which  lay  a  great  number  of  sick  people,  blind,  lame, 
paralysed. 

And  there  was  a  man  there  who  had  been  detained  by  his  sick- 
ness for  thirty-eight  years.  Jesus,  noticing  him  prostrate,  and 
knowing  that  he  had  been  ill  for  a  long  time,  asked  him, 

"  Do  you  desire  to  become  well  ?  " 

"Sir,"  replied  the  sick  man  to  Him,  "I  have  no  one  to  throw 
me  into  the  bath  when  the  water  is  agitated  ;  but  while  I  am 
coming,  some  one  else  goes  down  before  me." 

Jesus  said  to  him,  "  Rise  up,  take  up  your  rug,  and  walk." 

And  the  man  was  at  once  restored  ;  and,  taking  up  his  rug,  he 
began  to  walk. 

John  v".  1-9.     The  Xeto  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  6. 

Watching  by  Day  and  Listening  through  the  Night 
I  saw  again  the  spirits  on  a  day, 
Where  on  the  earth  in  mournful  case  they  lay  ; 
Five  porches  were  there,  and  a  pool  and  round, 
Huddling  in  blankets,  strewn  upon  the  ground, 
Tied-up  and  bandaged,  weary,  sore,  and  spent, 
The  maimed  and  halt,  diseased  and  impotent. 
For  a  great  angel  came,  'twas  said,  and  stirred 
The  pool  at  certain  seasons,  and  the  word 
Was,  with  this  people  of  the  sick,  that  they 
Who  in  the  waters  here  their  limbs  should  lay 
Before  the  motion  on  the  surface  ceased 
180 


SAVING  THE  SABBATH  181 

Should  of  their  torment;  straightway  be  released. 
So  with  shrunk  bodies  and  with  heads  dowu-dropt, 
Stretched  on  the  steps,  and  at  the  pillars  propt, 
Watching  by  day  and  listening  through  the  night, 
They  tilled  the  place,  a  miserable  sight. 
***** 

But  what  the  waters  of  that  poor  might  be, 
Of  Lethe  were  they,  or  Philosophy ; 
And  whether  he,  long  waiting,  did  attain 
Deliverance  from  the  burden  of  his  pain 
There  with  the  rest  ;  or  whether,  yet  before, 
Some  more  diviner  stranger  passed  the  door 
With  his  small  company  into  that  sad  place, 
And  breathing  hope  into  the  sick  man's  face, 
Bade  him  take  up  his  bed,  and  rise  and  go. 
Bethesda,  Arthur  Hugh  Clough,  Poetical  Works,  p.  145. 

For  This  Reason  They  Began  to  Persecute  Jesus 
Now  it  was  the  Sabbath.     So  the  Jews  said  to  the  man  who  had 

been  cured  : 

"This  is  the  Sabbath  ;  you  must  not  carry  your  mat." 

"The  man  who  cured  me,"  he  answered,  "said  to  me  'Take 

up  your  mat  and  walk  about.'  " 

"Who  was  it,"  they  asked,  "  that  said  to  you  'Take  up  your 

mat  and  walk  about'  ?" 
But  the  man  who  had  been  restored  did  not  know  who  it  was  ; 

for  Jesus  had  moved  away,  because  there  was  a  crowd  there. 

Afterwards  Jesus  found  the  man  in  the  Temple  courts,  and  said 

to  him  : 

"  You  are  cured  now  ;  do  not  sin  again,  for  fear  that  something 

worse  may  befall  you. " 
The  man  went  away,  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was  Jesus  who 

had  cured  him.     And  that  was  why  the  Jews  began  to  persecute 

Jesus — because  he  did  things  of  this  kind  on  the  Sabbath.    But 

Jesus  replied  : 

"My  Father  works  to  this  very  hour,  and  I  work  also." 

This  made  the  Jews  all  the  more  eager  to  kill  him,  because  not 

only  was  he  doing  away  with  the  Sabbath,  but  he  actually  called 

God  his  own  Father— putting  himself  on  an  equality  with  God. 
Joh7i  V.  10-18.     The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English, 
p.  174. 


183      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Gted  before  Awthorities  for  the  First  Time 

Jesus  seems  forthwith  to  have  been  for  the  first  time  cited  be- 
fore the  authorities,  ou  the  formal  charge  of  Sabbath-breakiug  ; 
but  His  judges  were  little  prepared  for  the  toue  of  His  defence. 
Left  to  answer  of  Himself,  He  threw  the  assembly  into  a  paroxysm 
of  religious  fury  by  claiming  to  work  at  all  times  for  the  good  of 
men,  since  it  was  only  what  God,  His  Father,  had  done  from  the 
beginniDg,  notwithstanding  the  Sabbath  law.     .     .     . 

He  did  not  for  a  moment  deny  that  they  were  right  in  the 
meaning  they  put  on  His  words,  but  stated  more  fully  why  He 
used  them.     .     .     . 

The  authorities  had  never  had  such  a  prisoner  before  them. 
They  knew  not  what  to  do  with  Him,  and,  in  their  confusion  and 
utter  defeat,  could  only  let  Him  depart  unharmed.  They  had 
not  yet  summoned  courage  to  proceed  to  open  violence. 

This  was  the  turning  point  in  the  life  of  Jesus.  Till  now,  He 
had  enjoyed  a  measure  of  toleration  and  eveu  of  acceptance,  but, 
henceforth,  all  was  changed.  Jerusalem  was  no  longer  safe  for 
Him,  and,  even  in  Galilee,  He  was  dogged  by  determined  enmity. 
The  shadow  of  the  Cross  darkened  His  whole  future  career. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiughaiu  Geikie,  D.  D. ,  Vol.  II,  p.  93. 

**  If  You  Believed  Moses  You  "Would  Believe  Me  ** 

Jesus  therefore  answered  and  said  to  them. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  to  you.  The  Sou  can  do  nothing  of  him- 
self, but  what  he  sees  the  Father  doing  :  for  whatever  things  he 
does,  these  the  Sou  also  does  in  like  manner.  For  the  Father 
loves  the  Son,  and  shows  him  all  things  that  himself  does  :  and 
greater  works  than  these  will  he  show  him,  that  you  may  marvel. 

For  as  the  Father  raises  the  dead  and  gives  life  to  them,  even 
so  the  Son  also  gives  life  to  whom  he  will.  For  neither  does  the 
Father  judge  any  man,  but  he  has  given  all  judgment  to  the  Son  ; 
that  all  may  honour  the  Son,  even  as  they  honour  the  Father. 
He  that  honoureth  not  the  Son,  honoureth  not  the  Father  who 
sent  him. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  to  you,  He  that  hears  my  word,  and  be- 
lieves him  that  sent  me,  has  eternal  life,  and  comes  not  into 
judgment,  but  has  passed  out  of  death  into  life. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  to  you,  The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is, 


SAVING  THE  SABBATH  183 

when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Sou  of  God  ;  and  they 
that  hear  shall  live.  For  as  the  Father  has  life  in  himself,  even 
so  he  gave  to  the  Son  also  to  have  life  in  himself : 

And  he  gave  him  authority  to  execute  judgment,  because  he  i« 
the  Sou  of  man. 

Marvel  not  at  this  :  for  the  hour  is  coming,  in  which  all  that 
are  in  the  tombs  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth  ;  they 
that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life,  they  that  have 
done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  judgment. 

I  can  of  myself  do  nothing  :  as  I  hear,  I  judge  :  and  my  judg- 
ment is  righteous  ;  because  I  seek  not  my  own  will,  but  the  will 
of  him  that  sent  me. 

If  I  bear  witness  of  myself  my  witness  is  not  true.  It  is  another 
that  bears  witness  of  me  ;  and  I  know  that  the  witness  he  wit- 
nesses of  me  is  true. 

You  have  sent  to  John,  and  he  has  borne  witness  to  the  truth. 
But  the  witness  I  receive  is  not  from  man  :  yet  I  say  these  things, 
that  you  may  be  saved. 

He  was  the  lamp  that  burns  and  shines  :  and  you  were  willing 
to  rejoice  for  a  season  in  his  light. 

But  the  witness  which  I  have  is  greater  than  that  of  John  :  for 
the  works  which  the  Father  has  given  me  to  accomplish,  the 
very  works  that  I  do,  bear  witness  of  me,  that  the  Father  has 
sent  me.  And  the  Father  who  sent  me,  he  has  borne  witness  of 
me.  You  have  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any  time,  nor  seen  his 
form. 

And  you  have  not  his  word  abiding  in  you  :  for  whom  he  sent, 
him  you  believe  not. 

You  search  the  scriptures  because  you  think  that  in  them  you 
have  eternal  life  ;  aud  these  are  they  that  bear  witness  of  me ; 
and  you  will  not  come  to  me  that  you  may  have  life. 

I  receive  not  glory  from  men.  But  I  know  you,  that  you  have 
not  the  love  of  God  in  yourselves. 

I  am  come  in  my  Father's  name,  and  you  receive  me  not :  if 
another  shall  come  in  his  own  name  you  will  receive  him.  How 
can  you  believe,  who  receive  glory  one  of  another,  and  the  glory 
that  comes  from  the  only  God  you  seek  not  I 

Think  not  that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father  :  there  is  one 
that  accuses  you,  even  Moses,  on  whom  you  have  set  your  hope. 


184      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

For  if  you  believed  Moses,  you  would  believe  me,  for  he  wrote 
of  me. 

But  if  you  believe  not  his  writings,  how  shall  you  believe  my 
words  f 

John  V.  19-47.     Eevised  Version,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

''It  Is  Yo«,  Not  I,  Who  Break  the  Sabbath ** 

{From  a  supposed  letter  of  Ben-Gamlah  of  Jerusalem.) 

I  give  the  substance  of  what  he  said,  but  not  his  words. 

When  the  people  heard  him  thus  speak,  and  give  the  testimony 
of  the  prophets  to  the  reign  of  peace  and  truth,  they  were  greatly 
amazed,  and  said,  "  How  knoweth  this  man  the  Scriptures,  since 
he  has  never  been  to  the  schools  of  the  Sophers  ? ' ' 

As  they  said  this,  he  answered  them,  sayiDg,  "What  I  say  is 

not  what  I  have  sought  out  or  found  by  my  own  power,  but  what 

God  has  said  to  me.     I  listen  to  his  voice,  and  speak  his  words. 

Many  who  speak  to  you  desire  the  fame  of  mighty  orators,  and 

put  together  sounding  words  ;  but  I  only  try  to  hear  what  my 

Father  says  to  me,  and  repeat  it  again.     Ye  were  angry  with  me 

because  I  told  you  that  sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  that 

whatever  doth  man  good,  it  is  right  to  do  on  the  sabbath.     Ye 

thought  that  this  was  teaching  you  to  break  the  law  of  Moses. 

But,  if  ye  bethink  yourselves,  ye  will  see  that  ye  also  break  the 

sabbath  by  doing  works  of  religion  on  that  day.     The  priests  in 

the  temple  profane  the  sabbath,  and  are  blameless,  because  they 

are  obeying  the  law  of  Moses.     But  doth  not  the  law  also  say, 

'  Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself!  '  and  I  should  break  that  law 

if  I  refused  to  heal  a  man  on  the  sabbath.     God  says,  '  I  will  have 

mercy  and  not  sacrifice.'     Ye  break  the  sabbath  by  giving  God 

sacrifices  :  I  break  the  sabbath  in  giving  him  deeds  of  mercy." 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  264. 

Picking  and  Eating  Grain  on  the  Sabbath 
At  that  season  Jesus  went  on  the  sabbath  day  through  the 
graiufields  ;  and  his  disciples  were  hungry  and  began  to  pluck 
ears  [heads]  and  to  eat.  But  the  Pharisees,  when  they  saw  it, 
said  to  him.  Behold,  thy  disciples  do  that  which  it  is  not  lawful 
to  do  upon  the  sabbath.     But  he  said  unto  them  : 


SAVING  THE  SABBATH  185 

Have  ye  not  read  what  David  did,  when  he  was  hungry,  and 
they  that  were  with  him  ;  how  he  entered  into  the  house  of  God, 
and  ate  the  shewbread,  which  it  was  not  lawful  for  him  to  eat, 
neither  for  them  that  were  with  him,  but  ouly  for  the  priests  ? 
Or  have  ye  not  read  in  the  law,  that  on  the  sabbath  day  the 
priests  in  the  temple  profane  the  sabbath,  and  are  guiltless? 
But  I  say  to  you,  that  one  greater  than  the  temple  is  here.  But 
if  ye  had  known  what  this  means,  I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacri- 
fice, ye  would  not  have  condemned  the  guiltless.  For  the  Son 
of  man  is  lord  of  the  sabbath. 

Matthew  xii.  1-8.     American  Eevision. 

Fivefold  Damnation  on  Those  Who  Do  This 

Talmudic  law  recognised  five  different  species  of  sin  in  this 
act :  To  remove  the  husks  was  sifting  the  corn  ;  to  rub  the  heads 
of  corn  was  threshing ;  to  clean  away  the  side-adherences  was 
sifting  out  the  fruit ;  to  bruise  the  corn  was  grinding  ;  to  hold  it 
up  in  the  hands  was  winnowing.  All  these  acts  were  forbidden  ; 
therefore  a  fivefold  damnation  rested  on  him  who  plucked  and 
ate  corn  on  the  Sabbath-day  ! 

Yet,  by  another  quibble,  it  was  permitted  to  a  man  to  remove 
a  whole  sheaf  from  the  field,  if  he  had  previously  laid  upon  it  a 
spoon  in  common  use  ;  for  it  was  not  sinful  to  remove  the  spoon 
aud  the  sheaf  might  be  removed  with  the  spoon,  the  sheaf  being 
treated  as  part  of  the  spoon  for  the  time  being  ! 
The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  75. 

Defending  His  Disciples,  Not  Himself 

Jesus  Himself  had  not  indeed  shared  in  the  offense.  If  we 
may  press  the  somewhat  peculiar  expression  of  St.  Mark,  He 
was  walking  along  through  the  cornfields  by  the  ordinary  path, 
bearing  His  hunger  as  best  He  might,  while  the  disciples  were 
pushing  for  themselves  a  road  through  the  standing  corn  [grain] 
by  plucking  the  ears  [heads]  as  they  went  along.  Now  there  was 
no  harm  whatever  in  plucking  the  ears  ;  that  was  not  only 
sanctioned  by  custom,  but  even  distinctly  permitted  by  the 
Mosaic  law.  But  the  heinous  fact  was  that  this  should  be  done 
on  a  Sabbath  !    Instantly  the  Pharisees  are  around  our  Lord, 


186      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

pointing  to  the  disciples  with  the  angry  question,  ''See  !  why  do 
they" — with  a  contemptuous  gesture  toward  the  disciples — "do 
that  which  is  not  lawful  on  the  Sabbath  day  ?  " 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  436. 


The  Man  with  the  Withered  Hand 

On  another  Sabbath,  He  entered  the  synagogue  and  taught ; 
and  a  man  was  there  whose  right  hand  was  withered.  The  pro- 
fessors and  Pharisees  accordingly  watched  Him,  to  see  if  He 
would  cure  on  the  Sabbath  ;  in  order  to  lay  an  information  against 
Him.  Divining  their  reasonings,  however.  He  said  to  the  man 
who  had  the  withered  hand, 

"  Get  up,  and  stand  out  among  us." 

So  he  arose  and  stood.     Jesus  then  said  to  them, 

"  I  ask  you  plainly,  Is  it  allowable  on  the  Sabbath  to  benefit  or 
to  injure?  to  save  a  life  or  to  destroy  it?" 

Then,  looking  around  upon  tbem  all.  He  said  to  the  man, 

•'  Extend  your  hand  ! ' ' 

He  did  so  ;  and  his  hand  was  restored  like  the  other.  But  they 
became  mad  with  annoyance ;  and  discussed  among  themselves 
what  they  could  do  to  Jesus. 

Luke  vi.  6-11.     The  Neio  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  96. 


Tradition  That  This  Man  "Was  a  Stone  Mason 

It  was  apparently  on  the  day  signalised  by  this  bitter  attack, 
that  our  Lord  again,  later  in  the  afternoon,  entered  the  synagogue. 
A  man — tradition  says  that  he  was  a  stone-mason,  maimed  by  an 
accident,  who  had  prayed  Christ  to  heal  him,  that  he  might  not 
be  forced  to  beg — was  sitting  in  the  synagogue. 

His  presence,  and  apparently  the  purpose  of  His  presence,  was 
known  to  all ;  and  in  the  chief  seats  were  scribes,  Pharisees, 
Herodiaus,  whose  jealous,  malignant  gaze  was  fixed  on  Christ  to 
see  what  He  would  do,  that  they  might  accuse  Him. 

He  did  not  leave  them  long  in  doubt.  First  He  bade  the  man 
with  the  withered  hand  to  get  up  and  stand  out  in  the  midst. 
And  then  he  referred  to  the  [judgment]  of  their  own  consciences 
the  question  that  was  in  their  hearts,  formulating  it  only  in  such 


SAVING  THE  SABBATH  187 

a  way  as  to  show  them  its  real  significance.  "  Is  it  lawful,"  He 
asked,  ^'on  the  Sabbath  clays  to  do  good  or  to  do  evil  ?  to  save 
life  (as  I  am  doing),  or  to  kill  (as  you  in  your  hearts  are  wishing 
todo)r' 

There  could  be  but  one  answer  to  such  a  question,  but  they 
were  not  there  either  to  search  for  or  to  tell  the  truth.  Their 
sole  object  was  to  watch  what  He  would  do,  and  found  upon  it  a 
public  charge  before  the  Sanhedrin,  or  if  not,  at  least  to  brand 
him  thenceforth  with  the  open  stigma  of  a  Sabbath -breaker. 

Therefore  they  met  the  question  by  a  stolid  and  impotent 
silence.  But  he  would  not  allow  them  to  escape  the  verdict  of 
their  own  better  judgment,  and  therefore  He  justified  Himself  by 
their  own  distinct  practice,  no  less  than  by  their  inability  to 
answer. 

"Is  there  one  of  you,"  He  asked,  "  who,  if  but  a  single  sheep 
be  fallen  into  a  water-pit,  will  not  get  hold  of  it,  and  pull  it  out  ? 
How  much  then  is  a  man  better  than  a  sheep  *? ' '  The  argument 
was  unanswerable,  and  their  own  conduct  in  the  matter  was  un- 
deniable ;  but  still  their  fierce  silence  remained  unbroken. 

He  looked  round  on  them  with  anger  ;  a  holy  indignation 
burned  in  His  heart,  glowed  on  His  countenance,  animated  His 
gesture,  rang  in  His  voice,  as  slowly  He  swept  each  hard  up- 
turned face  with  the  glance  that  upbraided  them  for  their 
malignity  and  meanness,  for  their  ignorance  and  pride  ;  and  then 
suppressing  that  bitter  and  strong  emotion  as  He  turned  to  His 
deed  of  mercy,  He  said  to  the  man,  "  Stretch  forth  thy  hand." 

Was  not  the  hand  withered  ?  How  could  he  stretch  it  forth  ? 
The  word  of  Christ  supplied  the  power  to  fulfil  His  command. 
He  stretched  it  out,  and  it  was  restored  whole  as  the  other. 

Thus  in  every  way  were  His  enemies  foiled — foiled  in  argument, 
shamed  into  silence,  thwarted  even  in  their  attempt  to  find  some 
ground  for  a  criminal  accusation.  For  even  in  healing  the  man, 
Christ  had  done  absolutely  nothing  which  their  worst  hostility 
could  misconstrue  into  a  breach  of  the  Sabbath  law. 

He  had  not  touched  the  man  ;  He  had  not  questioned  him  ;  He 
had  not  bid  him  exercise  his  recovered  power  ;  He  had  but  spoken 
a  word,  and  not  even  a  Pharisee  could  say  that  to  speak  a  word 
was  an  infraction  of  the  Sabbath,  even  if  the  word  were  followed 
by  a  miraculous  blessing  !    They  must  have  felt  how  utterly  they 


188      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

were  defeated,  but  it  only  kindled  their  rage  the  more.  They 
were  filled  with  madness,  and  communed  one  with  another  what 
they  might  do  to  Jesus. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  439. 

Not  to  Wear  Even  a  Needle  on  the  Sabbath 

The  holy  day  began  with  sunset  on  Friday,  and  ended  with  the 
sunset  of  Saturday,  but  as  the  disappearance  of  the  sun  was  the 
only  mark  of  the  time,  its  commencement  was  different  on  a  hill- 
top and  in  a  valley.  If  it  were  cloudy,  the  hens  going  to  roost 
was  the  signal.  The  beginning  and  close  of  the  Sabbath  were 
announced  by  trumpet  blasts,  in  Jerusalem  and  in  the  different 
towns.  From  the  decline  of  the  sun  on  Friday,  to  its  setting, 
was  Sabbath-eve,  and  no  work  which  would  continue  into  the 
hours  of  Sabbath,  could  be  done  in  this  interval.  All  food  must 
be  prepared,  all  vessels  washed,  and  all  lights  kindled,  before 
sunset.  The  money  girdle  must  be  taken  off,  and  all  tools  laid 
aside. 

"On  Friday,  before  the  beginning  of  the  Sabbath,"  said  one 
law,  "  no  one  must  go  out  of  his  house  with  a  needle  or  a  pen, 
lest  he  forget  to  lay  them  aside  before  the  Sabbath  opens.  Every 
one  must  also  search  his  pockets  at  that  time,  to  see  that  there  is 
nothing  left  in  them  with  which  it  is  forbidden  to  go  out  on  the 
Sabbath."  The  refinements  of  rabbinical  casuistry  were,  indeed, 
endless.  To  wear  one  kind  of  sandals  was  carrying  a  bnrden, 
while  to  wear  another  kind  was  not. 

One  might  carry  a  burden  on  his  shoulder,  but  it  must  not  be 
slung  between  the  two.  It  was  unlawful  to  go  out  with  wooden 
sandals  or  shoes  which  had  nails  in  the  soles,  or  with  a  shoe  and 
a  slipper,  unless  one  foot  were  hurt. 

It  was  unlawful  for  any  one  to  carry  a  loaf  on  the  public 
street,  but  if  two  carried  it,  it  was  not  unlawful.  The  Sabbath 
was  believed  to  prevail  in  all  its  strictness,  from  eternity, 
throughout  the  universe.  All  the  rabbinical  precepts  respecting 
it  had  been  revealed  to  Jacob  from  the  originals  on  the  tablets  of 
heaven.  Even  in  hell  the  lost  had  rest  from  their  torments  on 
its  sacred  hours,  and  the  waters  of  Bethesda  might  be  troubled 
on  other  days  but  were  still  and  unmoved  on  this. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  91. 


SAVING  THE  SABBATH  189 

Ridicolows  Regulations 

You  must  not  walk  through  a  stream  on  stilts,  for  you  reallj 
carried  the  stilts.  A  woman  must  not  go  out  with  any  ribbons 
upon  her  unless  they  were  sewed  to  her  dress.  A  false  tooth 
must  not  be  worn.  A  person  with  the  toothache  might  not  rinse 
his  mouth  with  vinegar,  but  he  might  hold  it  in  his  mouth  and 
swallow  it. 

No  one  might  write  down  two  letters  of  the  alphabet.  The 
sick  might  not  send  for  a  physician.  A  person  with  lumbago 
might  not  rub  or  foment  the  affected  part. 

A  tailor  must  not  go  out  with  his  needle  on  Friday  night,  lest 
he  should  forget  it,  and  so  break  the  Sabbath  by  carrying  it 
about. 

A  cock  must  not  wear  a  piece  of  ribbon  around  his  leg  on  the 
Sabbath,  for  this  would  be  to  carry  something  ! 

Shammai  would  not  intrust  a  letter  to  a  pagan  after  Wednesday, 

lest  he  should  not  have  arrived  at  his  destination  on  the  Sabbath. 

He  was  occupied,  we  are  told,  all  the  week  thinking  how  he 

should  keep  the  Sabbath. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.D.,  F.  E.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  432. 
Foot-note. 

Foolish  Quibble  about  Carrying  a  Handkerchief 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  the  puerilities  enjoined  and  en- 
forced by  their  learned  rabbis : — A  Jew  must  not  carry  on  the 
Sabbath  even  so  much  as  a  pocket  handkerchief,  except  within 
the  walls  of  the  city.  If  there  are  no  walls  it  follows,  according 
to  their  perverse  logic,  that  he  must  not  carry  it  at  all  !  To  avoid 
this  difficulty,  here  in  Safed,  they  resort  to  [this]  : 

Poles  are  set  up  at  the  ends  of  the  streets,  and  strings  stretched 
from  one  to  the  other.  This  string  represents  a  wall,  and  a  con- 
scientious Jew  may  carry  his  handkerchief  anywhere  within  these 
strings. 

I  was  once  amused  by  a  devout  Israelite  who  was  walking  with 
me  on  his  Sabbath.  When  we  came  to  the  end  of  the  street  the 
string  was  gone,  and  so  by  another  fiction  he  was  at  liberty  to  go 
on  without  reference  to  what  was  in  his  pocket,  because  he  had 
not  passed  the  wall  ! 

The  Land  and  the  Book,  William  McClure  Thomson,  Vol.  II,  (chapter)  19. 


190      TPIE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

He  Found  It  a  Law,  and  Left  It  a  Privilege 
He  protested  agaiust  the  spirit  which,  on  this  memorial  day  of 
emancipatiou,  manacled  the  hands  and  the  hearts  of  the  children 
of  God.  He  repelled  with  especial  indignation  the  idea  that  its 
hours  were  too  sacred  for  labors  of  mercy  and  of  love.  He  took 
from  it  nothing  but  its  chains.  He  found  it  a  day  of  rest  to  the 
body,  but  of  weariness  to  the  spirit.  He  left  it  a  day  no  less  of 
refreshment  to  the  mind  and  of  recreation  to  the  soul.  He  found 
this  cutting  from  the  tree  of  life,  a  dead  form,  leafless,  blossom- 
less.  He  infused  it  with  new  life,  clothed  it  with  verdure,  and 
filled  its  branches  with  the  singing  of  birds.  He  found  it  a  law  ; 
he  left  it  a  privilege. 

As  a  gardener  in  autumn  guards  his  more  delicate  plants  by 
enwrapping  them  with  straw,  so  the  Jews  had  endeavored  to 
preserve  this  their  ancient  Sabbath  by  wrapping  it  around  with 
dead  traditions  which  they  called  "guards  of  the  law."  Jesus 
tore  off  these  wrappings.  The  Pharisees  cried  out  against  the 
desecration.  But  the  spring  had  come.  And  Christ  preserved 
the  Sabbath  which  to  their  eyes  he  seemed  to  be  destroying  by 
endowing  it  with  a  new  life  in  itself — a  life  which  these  wrajj- 
piugs  were  repressing,  and  ere  long  would  have  extinguished. 

But  this  was  not  all.  The  Pharisaic  Sabbath  was  the  strong- 
hold of  Pharisaism.  It  was  to  the  Jews  what  the  cross  is  to  the 
Roman  Catholic,  the  emblem  of  his  religion.  A  day  of  cere- 
monies, it  was  the  very  heart  of  ceremonialism.  It  was,  there- 
fore, the  first  objective  point  of  Christ's  attack.  A  wise  general, 
he  struck  for  the  key  of  the  Pharisaic  position.  By  open, 
flagrant,  repeated,  and  purposed  violations  of  the  Pharisaic 
traditions,  he  inaugurated  the  conflict  not  merely  between  him- 
self and  the  Pharisees,  but  between  spiritual  life  and  ceremonial 
law. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  205. 

**  The  Sabbath  Was  Made  for  Man  ** 
"  Look  !  "  exclaimed  the  Pharisees  to  Him,  ''  how  they  are  do- 
ing on  the  Sabbath  what  is  not  allowable." 

"  Hid  you  never  read,"  replied  He,  "  what  David  did  when  he 
had  need,  and  was  hungry,  he  as  well  as  those  who  were  with 
him  ?    How,  during  the  time  that  Abiathar  was  High  Priest,  he 


SAVIJ^G  THE  SABBATH  191 

entered  the  house  of  God,  and  ate  the  shew-bread— which  was 
permitted  to  be  eaten  by  none  but  the  priests— giving  also  to 
those  who  accompanied  him  ? 

"  The  day  of  rest,"  He  added,  ''  came  for  the  sake  of  man  ;  not 
man  for  the  purpose  of  the  Sabbath  ;  so  that  the  Son  of  Man  is 
also  Master  of  the  Sabbath." 

Mark  ii.  24-28.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  69, 


XIV 

GOIXG  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE 

What  is  that  ye  came  to  note — 

A  youug  Man  preaching  from  a  boat  ? 

— Clough. 

Left  All  and  Followed  Him 

He  said  to  Simon  : 

"  Push  off  into  deep  water,  and  all  throw  out  your  nets  for  a 
haul." 

"  We  have  been  hard  at  work  all  night,  Sir,"  answered  Simou, 
"and  have  not  caught  anything,  but,  at  your  bidding,  I  will 
throw  out  the  nets," 

They  did  so,  and  enclosed  such  a  great  shoal  of  fish  that  their 
nets  began  to  break.  So  they  signaled  to  their  partners  in  the 
other  boat  to  come  and  help  them  ;  and  they  came  and  filled  both 
boats  so  full  of  fish  that  they  were  almost  sinking.  When  Simon 
Peter  saw  this,  he  threw  himself  down  at  Jesus'  knees,  ex- 
claiming : 

"  Master,  leave  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man  !  " 

For  he  and  all  who  were  with  him  were  lost  in  amazement  at 
the  haul  of  fish  which  they  had  made  ;  and  so,  too,  were  James 
and  John,  Zebediah's  [Zebedee's]  sous,  who  were  Simon's  partners. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,"  Jesus  said  to  Simon  ;  "  from  to-day  you 
shall  catch  men. "  And,  when  they  had  brought  their  boats  to 
shore,  they  left  everything,  and  followed  him. 

Luke  V.  4-11.     The   Ticentieth    Century  New   Testament  in  Modem  English, 
p.  114. 

**  Depart  from  Me !  **  Yet  Let  Me  Stay 
A  busy  scene  followed.  The  instinct  of  work  first  prevailed. 
Simou  and  Andrew  beckoned  to  Zebedee  and  his  sons  and  serv- 
ants to  come  in  their  boat  and  help  to  save  the  miraculous  draught 
and  straining  nets ;  both  boats  were  filled  to  the  gunwale  with 
the  load  ;  and  at  the  first  moment  that  the  work  was  finished, 
and  Peter  recognised  the  whole  force  of  the  miracle,  he  falls, 

192 


GOING  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE    193 

with  his  usual  eager  impetuosity,  at  his  Master's  feet — to  thank 
Him  1  to  offer  Him  henceforth  an  absolute  devotion  ■? — No,  but 
(and  here  we  have  a  touch  of  indescribable  truthfulness,  utterly 
beyond  the  power  of  the  most  consummate  intellect  to  have  in- 
vented) to  exclaim,  "Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O 
Lord  !  "  A  flash  of  supernatural  illumination  had  revealed  to 
him  both  his  own  sinful  unworthiness  and  who  He  was  who  was 
with  him  in  the  boat.  It  was  the  first  imjDulse  of  fear  and  amaze- 
ment, before  they  had  had  time  to  grow  into  adoration  and  love. 
St.  Peter  did  not  mean  the  "  Depart  from  me  ; "  he  only  meant — 
and  this  was  known  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts — "  I  am  utterly  un- 
worthy to  be  near  Thee,  yet  let  me  stay." 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  243. 

Choosing  a  Publican 

Matthew's  Own  Account 
And  passing  on  from  there,  Jesus  saw  a  man  named  Matthew, 
sitting  at  the  custom-house  ;  and  He  said  to  him, 
"Follow  Me!" 

And  arising,  he  did  follow  Him. 
Matthew  ix,  9.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  41. 

MarWs  Account 
He  afterwards  went  out  again  by  the  lake  ;  and  all  the  crowd 
coming  to  Him,  He  taught  them.     And  as  He  was  passing  along. 
He  noticed  Levi,  son  of  Alphseus,  sitting  at  the  custom-house  ; 
and  He  said  to  him, 
"  Follow  Me  !  " 

So  starting  up  he  followed  Him. 
Mark  ii.  13,  14.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  69. 

A  Tax  Collector  Gives  up  His  Position 
As  I  came  near  lo  the  white  walls  of  Kaphar-nahum  (Caper- 
naum), I  beheld  the  house  of  the  tax-gatherer,  which  stood  by  the 
gate,  where  all  wlio  brought  anything  into  the  city  must  pay 
their  taxes  to  the  publican,  or  collector  of  taxes.  There  was  a 
crowd  around  the  house,  and  much  talking  ;  and  T  said,  "  They 
are  disputing  his  demands,  and  seeking  to  avoid  paying  the  tax  ; " 
for  very  frequent  and  bitter  were  the  quarrels  concerning  taxes. 


194      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  great  publicans  at  Eome  bought  from  the  Senate  the  right 
to  tax  our  province  of  Syria,  and  sold  this  right  to  other  publi- 
cans. So  each  grasped  all  he  could  extort  from  the  nation.  They 
were  like  robbers,  or  like  hungry  wolves,  and  were  hated  by  the 
people.  I  had  known  well  the  man  who  held  this  place  at 
Kaphar-nahum  (Capernaum),  and  loved  him  as  a  dear  friend. 
He  was  called  Levi-Matthew,  son  of  Alphaeus.  He  was  better 
than  the  others,  and  did  much  good  with  his  badly  gained  money. 

As  I  approached,  I  saw  Levi  talking  with  those  who  stood 
around,  and  some  of  his  servants  were  collecting  and  packing  in 
boxes  his  rolls  of  accounts  ;  and  I  said,  "  O  Levi  !  May  blessings 
wait  on  thee  !  Dost  thou  go  from  this  place,  and  hath  thine 
office  been  taken  from  thee  ? ' ' 

He  replied  "  Mine  office  hath  not  been  taken  ;  but  I  have  given 
it  up,  and  collect  taxes  no  more.  These  friends  lament,  for  they 
think  that  perchance  a  more  cruel  man  than  I  may  come  into  my 
place  ;  yet  I  hope  not,  for  the  people  have  need  of  all  they  have, 
and  with  difficulty  pay  their  tax,"  I  said,  "But  why  dost  thou 
quit  thine  office,  O  Levi  ?  Though  they  mock  at  thee  because  of 
it,  and  spit  on  the  ground  as  they  pass,  yet  many,  I  know,  would 
willingly  take  it  themselves,  for  it  is  full  of  profit." 

But  Matthew  (which  is  Levi),  the  son  of  Alphoeus,  answered 
and  said,  "I  have  been  called  to-day  to  be  a  follower  and  a 
scholar  of  the  new  prophet,  my  kinsman,  Jesus  of  Nazirah 
(Nazareth).  I  so  love  and  honor  him,  that  I  shall  leave  all,  and 
go  wherever  he  desires.  But  tell  me,  Thomas,  whence  comest 
thou?  It  is  long  since  I  have  seen  thee.  Come  with  me  to  my 
home,  and  let  us  talk  together  ;  and  I  will  make  thee  known  unto 
the  prophet,  for  he  cometh  to-day  unto  the  feast  which  I  give 
those  who  have  been  my  companions  and  friends  in  my  business. 
All  the  great  publicans  will  be  there,  and  others  also.  Though 
many  hate  us,  and  will  not  speak  to  us,  nor  eat  with  us,  many 
others,  as  thou  kuowest,  refuse  not  to  salute  us." 

Life  and    Times  of  Jesjis  as  Related  by   ITiomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  142. 

Matthew*s  Farewell  Reception 
Then  Levi  prepared  a  large  reception  at  his  own  house  ;  and  a 
great  company  of  tax-farmers  and  others  were  reclining  together 
with  Him. 


GOING  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE    195 

But  the  professors  grumbled  about  them ;  and  the  Pharisees 
said  to  His  disciples  : 

•'Why  does  He  eat  aud  drink  among  these  tax-farmers  and 
sinners  ? ' ' 

Luke  V.  29,  30.     The  New  Testament  in  Blodern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  95. 

Celebrating  a  Unique  Event 

It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  Matthew  should  celebrate  an 
event  so  unique  as  his  call,  by  a  "great  feast  in  his  house,"  in 
honour  of  Jesus ;  and  no  less  so  that  he  should  invite  a  large 
number  of  his  class,  to  rejoice  with  him  at  the  new  era  opened  to 
them,  or  that  he  should  extend  the  invitation  to  his  friends  of  the 
proscribed  classes  generally. 

A  number  of  persons  in  bad  odour  with  their  more  correct  fel- 
low-citizens were,  hence,  brought  together  by  him,  along  with 
the  publicans  of  the  locality,  to  do  Jesus  honour  :  persons  branded 
by  public  opinion  as  "sinners,"  a  name  given  indiscriminately  to 
usurers,  gamblers,  thieves,  publicans,  shepherds,  and  sellers  of 
fruit  grown  in  the  sabbath  years.  It  might  have  seemed  doubt- 
ful whether  Jesus  would  sit  down  with  such  a  company,  for  even 
with  us  it  would  be  a  bold  step  for  any  public  teacher  to  join  a 
gathering  of  persons  in  bad  repute.  The  admission  of  Matthew 
to  the  discipleship  must  have  seemed  to  many  a  great  mistake. 
Nothing  could  more  certainly  damage  the  prospects  of  Jesus  with 
the  influential  classes,  or  create  a  wider  or  deeper  prejudice  and 
distrust. 

But  nothing  weighed  for  a  moment  with  Him  against  truth  and 
right.  His  soul  was  filled  with  a  grand  enthusiasm  for  humanity, 
and  no  false  or  narrow  exclusiveness  of  the  day  could  be  allowed 
to  stand  in  its  way.  He  accepted  the  invitation  with  the  readiest 
cheerfulness,  and  spent  the  evening  in  the  pleasures  of  friendly 
social  intercourse  with  the  strange  assembly. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  30. 

"Those  Who  Are  Healthy  Do  Not  Need  a  Physician  ** 
And  later  on  he  was  in  his  house  at  table,  and  a  number  of  tax- 
gatherers  and  outcasts  took  their  places  at  table  with  Jesus  and 
his  disciples  ;  for  many  of  them  were  following  him.     When  the 
teachers  of  the  Law  belonging  to  the  party  of  the  Pharisees  saw 


196      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

that  he  was  eating  in  the  company  of  such  people,  they  said  to 
his  disciples  : 

"  He  is  eating  in  the  company  of  tax-gatherers  and  outcasts  ! " 

Hearing  this,  Jesus  said  : 

"It  is  not  those  who  are  in  health  that  need  a  doctor,  but 
those  who  are  ill.  I  did  not  come  to  call  the  religious,  but  the 
outcast." 

3Iark  ii.  15-17.    The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p,  8. 

**  Tax-gatherers  and !  ** 

The  hatred  and  contempt  for  those  of  their  countrymen  who, 
under  such  circumstances,  took  service  under  the  associations  of 
publicans  farming  the  odious  taxes,  as  collectors,  may  be  im- 
agined. The  bitter,  relentless  contempt  and  loathing  towards 
them  knew  no  bounds. 

As  the  Greeks  spoke  of  "tax-gatherers  and  sycophants,"  the 
Jews  had  always  ready  a  similarly  odious  association  of  terms, 
such  as  ' '  tax-gatherers  and  sinners, "  "  tax-gatherers  and  heathen, ' ' 
"tax-gatherers  and  prostitutes,"  "tax-gatherers,  murderers,  and 
highway  robbers,"  in  speaking  of  them.  Driven  from  society, 
the  local  publicans  became  more  and  more  the  pariahs  of  the 
Jewish  world. 

The  Pharisee  stepped  aside  with  pious  horror,  to  avoid  breath- 
ing the  air  poisoned  with  the  breath  of  the  lost  son  of  the  House 
of  Israel,  who  had  sold  himself  to  a  calling  so  infamous.  The 
testimony  of  a  publican  was  not  taken  in  a  Jewish  court.  It  was 
forbidden  to  sit  at  table  with  him,  or  to  eat  his  bread. 

The  gains  of  the  class  were  the  ideal  of  uncleanness,  and  were 
especially  shunned,  every  piece  of  their  money  serving  to  mark  a 
religious  offence.  To  change  coin  for  them,  or  to  accept  alms 
from  them,  defiled  a  whole  household,  and  demanded  special 
purifications. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Canningbam  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  273. 

**  The  Lost  **  Are  Not  Lost  to  Him 
The  joy  that  attended  the  "good-news"  preaching  of  The 
Carpenter   can  with    difficulty  be   imagined    by  moderns,    ac- 
customed to  view  religion  as  a  scourge,  a  cult  for  the  dying,  a 
system  of  world  renunciation. 


GOING  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE    197 

Jesus  was  uot  afraid  of  the  good  things  of  this  world.  His 
message  had  for  its  purpose  the  recovery  of  their  earth  heritage 
on  the  part  of  the  disinherited  classes.  That  term,  "the  lost," 
as  it  appears  ou  his  lips,  repays  study.  It  has  not  the  idea  of 
moral  failure  which  the  term  has  come  to  connote  to-day.  It  has 
reference  rather  to  social  outlawry.  .  .  .  Society  has  disin- 
herited .  but  God  has  not  disinherited  them. 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  103. 

**  Can  the  Sons  of  the  Bride-Chamber  Fast  ?  ** 
Then  come  to  him  the  disciples  of  John,  saying,  Why  do  we 
and  the  Pharisees  fast  oft,  but  thy  disciples  fast  not  % 
Matthew  ix.  14.     American  Revision. 

And  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Can  ye  make  the  sons  of  the  bride- 
chamber  fast,  while  the  bridegroom  is  with  them  %    But  the  days 
will  come  ;  and  when  the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away  from 
them,  then  will  they  fast  in  those  days. 
Luke  V.  34,  35.     American  Revision. 

Old  Garments  and  Old  Wine-Sfcins 
And  he  spake  also  a  parable  unto  them  ;  No  one  tears  a  piece 

from  a  new  garment  and  puts  it  upon  an  old  garment ;  else  he 

will  tear  the  new,  and  also  the  piece  from  the  new  will  not  agree 

with  the  old. 
And  no  one  puts  new  wine  into  old  wine-skins  ;  else  the  new 

wine  will  burst  the  skins,  and  itself  will  be  spilled,  and  the  skins 

will  perish.     But  new  wine  must  be  put  into  fresh  wine-skins. 

And  no  man  having  drunk  old  wine  desires  new :  for  he  says, 

The  old  is  better. 

Luke  V.  36-39.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

New  Wine  Already  Bursting  Their  Old  Bottles 
The  new  wine  was  thus  already  bursting  the  old  bottles,  and 
the  result  could  not  be  doubtful.     Conservatism  felt  itself  im- 
periled, for  it  had  been  weighed,  and  found  wanting. 

The  priesthood  had  become  a  dividing  wall  between  God  and 
Israel.  The  religious  decay  of  the  nation  found  in  it  its  expression. 
The  sacrifices  were  mere  outward  forms ;  the  Temple,  notwith- 
standing the  glory  with  which  Herod's  love  of  magnificence  and 


198      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

hypocritical  piety  had  adorned  it,  was  a  symbol  of  exclusiveness, 
intolerance,  and  hatred  of  humanity  at  large  ;  the  high  officialism 
of  the  day  was  a  dam  against  every  reform,  every  breath  of  fresh 
religious  thought,  and  every  attempt  at  a  purer  spiritual  life. 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  102. 

Going  about,  Preaching  and  Healing 
And  Jesus  went  about  in  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues, preaching  the  good  news  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all 
manner  of  disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness  among  the  people. 

And  the  report  of  him  went  forth  into  all  Syria  :  and  they 
brought  to  him  all  that  were  sick,  holden  with  divers  diseases 
and  torments,  demoniacs,  and  epileptic,  and  palsied  ;  and  he 
healed  them. 

And  there  followed  him  great  multitudes  from  Galilee  and 
Decapolis  and  Jerusalem  and  Judea  and  from  beyond  the  Jordan. 
Matthew  iv.  23-25.     Revised,  with  Marginals,  ete. 

A  Region  of  Energy  and  Prosperity 
Galilee  was  the  most  northerly  of  the  four  provinces  into  which 
Palestine  was  divided.  It  was  sixty  miles  long  by  thirty  broad  ; 
that  is  to  say,  it  was  less  than  some  of  our  .  .  counties. 
.  .  .  It  consisted  for  the  most  part  of  an  elevated  plateau, 
whose  surface  was  varied  by  irregular  mountain  masses.  Near 
its  eastern  boundary  it  suddenly  dropped  down  into  a  great  gulf, 
through  which  flowed  the  Jordan,  and  in  the  midst  of  which,  at 
a  depth  of  five  hundred  feet  below  the  Mediterranean,  lay  the 
lovely,  harp-shaped  Sea  of  Galilee. 

The  whole  province  was  very  fertile,  and  its  surface  thickly 
covered  with  large  villages  and  towns.  The  population  was 
.  dense.  .  .  .  But  the  center  of  activity  was  the  basin 
of  the  lake,  a  sheet  of  water  thirteen  miles  long  by  six  broad. 
Above  its  eastern  shore,  round  which  ran  a  fringe  of  green  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  broad,  there  towered  high,  bare  hills,  cloven 
with  the  channels  of  torrents.  On  the  western  side,  the  moun- 
tains were  gently  sloped  and  their  sides  richly  cultivated,  bearing 
crops  of  every  description  ;  while  at  their  feet  the  shore  was 
verdant  with  luxuriant  groves  of  olives,  oranges,  figs,  and  every 
product  of  au  almost  tropical  climate.     At  the  northern  end  of 


GOING  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE    109 

the  lake  the  space  between  the  water  and  the  mountains  was 
broadened  by  the  delta  of  the  river,  and  watered  with  many 
streams  from  the  hills,  so  that  it  was  a  perfect  paradise  of  fertility 
and  beauty.  It  was  called  the  plain  of  Geunesaret,  aud  even  at 
this  day,  when  the  whole  basin  of  the  lake  is  little  better  than  a 
torrid  solitude,  is  still  covered  with  magnificent  corn  [grain] 
fields,  wherever  the  hand  of  cultivation  touches  it ;  and,  where 
idleness  leaves  it  untended,  is  overspread  with  thick  jungles  of 
thorn  and  oleander. 

In  our  Lord's  time,  it  contained  the  chief  cities  on  the  lake, 
such  as  Capernaum,  Bethsaida,  and  Chorazin.  But  the  whole 
shore  was  studded  with  towns  and  villages,  and  formed  a  perfect 
beehive  of  swarming  human  life.  .  .  .  The  waters  of  the 
lake  teemed  with  fish,  affording  employment  to  thousands  of 
fishermen.  Thousands  of  boats  for  fishing,  transport,  and  pleas- 
ure moved  to  and  fro  on  the  surface  of  the  lake,  so  that  the  whole 
region  was  a  focus  of  energy  and  prosperity. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  58. 

Men  Obeyed  without  Understanding  Him 
Galilee  was  at  his  feet.  Just  then  he  could  have  done  anything 
with  Galilee.  The  neighboring  provinces  overflowed  on  the  lake 
side  for  his  sake  ;  Judea  sought  him  and  studied  him  ;  and  even 
Jerusalem  had  her  delegates  at  his  mass  meetings.  The  clergy 
and  officers  of  his  church  had  begun  to  observe  him.  His  audi- 
ences were  numbered  by  thousands.  His  patients  were  never 
numbered.  Sickness,  misery,  sin  and  shame  swept  against  his 
heart  as  the  winds  swept  Geunesaret,  whose  shape  was  like  a 
harp.  Both  audiences  aud  patients  were  increasing  with  ap- 
palling force.  He  could  get  little  sleep.  Eest  was  impossible. 
He  had  scarcely  time  to  eat,  aud  his  nervous  vigor  was  so  taxed 
that  food  was  taken  with  difficulty. 

It  had  become  necessary  for  him  to  own  or  to  control  a  boat 
for  his  frequent  trips  across  the  lake,  that  he  might  push  out  into 
the  water  and  so  use  the  deck  as  a  pulpit,  putting  a  space  between 
himself  and  the  masses  which  would  otherwise  have  disabled  him 
from  addressing  them.  Wherever  he  went,  he  took  and  left 
crowds.  He  was  trampled  by  humanity.  He  was  almost  crushed 
by  its  near  proximity.     The  pressure  of  its  woe  closed  upon  him 


200       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

till  he  could  have  cried  out  for  agony  from  his  delicate  percei)tion 
of  what  that  meant.  The  sense  of  its  taint  bruised  against  his 
exquisite  purity  till  he  could  have  shrunk  away  forever,  from 
sheer  moral  recoil,  out  of  repulsive  contact.     He  never  did. 

He  had  not  an  atom  of  false  sensitiveness.  His  delicacy  had 
not  a  morbid  nerve  in  it.  He  took  the  world  as  he  found  it. 
But  he  did  not,  he  would  not,  he  could  not  leave  it  so.  Where 
he  was,  vice  hung  its  head.  Where  he  trod,  virtue  was  the  only 
comfortable  thing.  Misery  crept  like  a  child  to  his  arms.  As- 
suagement was  in  his  touch,  because  pity  and  power  held  the 
balance  of  his  impulses.  His  life  was  as  foreign  to  every  con- 
ception of  life  held  by  the  people  of  his  times  as  the  unknown 
continents  of  the  western  hemisphere.  He  passed  through  Pales- 
tine like  a  new  law  of  moral  science,  which  men  obeyed  without 
understanding. 

The  Story  of  Jems  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  162. 

Preaching  to  the  Qowds  from  a  Boat  Polpit 
Now  it  came  to  pass,  while  the  multitude  pressed  upon  him 
and  heard  the  word  of  God,  that  he  was  standing  by  the  lake  of 
Gennesaret ;  and  he  saw  two  boats  standing  by  the  lake  :  but  the 
fishermen  had  gone  out  of  them,  and  were  washing  their  nets. 
And  he  entered  into  one  of  the  boats,  which  was  Simon's,  and 
asked  him  to  put  out  a  little  from  the  laud.  And  he  sat  down 
and  taught  the  multitudes  out  of  the  boat. 
Luke  V.  1-3.     American  Revision. 

And  he  spake  to  his  disciples,  that  a  little  boat  should  wait  on 
him  because  of  the  crowd,  lest  they  should  throng  him,  for  he  had 
healed  many. 

Mark  iii,  9,  10.     American  Revision. 

A  Boat  Followed  Him  along  the  Shore 
It  was  even  found  necessary  that  a  boat  should  attend  Him,  as 
He  journeyed  along  the  shore,  that  He  might  betake  Himself  to 
it  when  the  throng  grew  oppressive.  Miraculous  cases  in  great 
number  increased  the  excitement,  many  who  crowded  round  Him 
finding  relief  by  touching  even  His  clothes,  and  unclean  spirits 
falling  down  before  Him  in  involuntary  confession  of  His  being 
the  Sou  of  God. 


GOING  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE    201 

But  though  His  pity  would  not  refuse  to  heal  auy  who  came, 
He  still  sought  to  avoid  the  offence  of  too  great  notoriety,  by 
requiring  secrecy.  His  gentle  and  unostentatious  progress  was  in 
such  vivid  contrast  to  the  noisy  and  disputatious  ways  of  the 
rabbis,  that  St.  Matthew  saw  in  it  a  fulfilment  of  the  Messianic 
visions  of  Isaiah,  for  He  did  not  strive,  nor  cry  aloud,  nor  was 
His  voice  heard  in  the  streets,  and  in  His  tender  gentleness  He 
would  not  break  a  bruised  reed,  or  quench  even  the  smoking 
flax. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  103. 

"What  Was  It  Ye  Went  out  to  See  ? 

Across  the  sea,  along  the  shore, 

In  numbers  more  and  ever  more, 

From  lonely  hut  and  busy  town, 

The  valley  through,  the  mountain  down, 

What  was  it  ye  went  out  to  see, 

Ye  silly  folk  of  Galilee  ? 

The  wind  that  in  the  wind  doth  shake? 

The  weed  that  washes  in  the  lake  ? 

The  reeds  that  waver,  the  weeds  that  float  ? — 

A  young  man  preaching  in  a  boat.     .     .     . 

A  prophet  ?     Boys  and  women  weak  ! 

Declare,  or  cease  to  rave  ; 
Whence  is  it  he  hath  learned  to  speak  ? 

Say,  who  his  doctrine  gave  ? 
A  prophet  ?     Prophet  wherefore  he 

Of  all  in  Israel  tribes?  — 
He  teacheth  with  authority, 

And  not  as  do  the  scribes. 

'*  What  Went  Ye  out  for  to  See?''  Arthur  Hugh  Clough,  Poetical  Works,  p.  76. 

Founding  a  Kingdom  on  Personal  Love 
"  The  love  of  Christ ' '  was  to  be  the  watchword  of  His  followers 
in  all  ages ;  the  sentiment  that  would  nerve  them  to  endure  tri- 
umphantly the  bitterest  persecutions,  and  even  death :  that 
would  constrain  them  to  life-long  devotion  to  His  cause  ;  in 
obedience  to  His  commands,  and  in  imitation  of  His  example. 

The  words  of  a  future  disciple,  St.  Paul,  would  be  only  the 
utterance  of  all  others  worthy  the  name,  in  every  age.  "The 
love  of  Christ  constraiueth  us." 


202      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

With  St.  John,  they  would  "  love  Him  because  He  first 
loved  us." 

He  had  established  a  kingdom,  for  the  first  and  only  time  in 
history,  on  jjersonal  love  to  the  founder,  and  it  was  uecessarj^  that 
He  should  definitely  reveal  Himself  in  His  spiritual  relation  to 
it  as,  henceforth,  its  recognised  Messiah-King. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuingham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p  224. 

The  Happiest  Time  in  His  Mother^s  Life 

This  was  the  happiest  time  in  Mary's  later  life.  Perplexity 
and  trouble  lay  behind  her.  Anguish  ineffable  lay  before  her. 
But  for  the  moment  she  knew  a  little  comfort.  Family  friction 
no  longer  annoyed  her  in  her  relations  to  her  Sou.  In  this  respect 
she  had  asserted  herself.  She  no  longer  brought  to  him  or  suf- 
fered to  be  brought  to  him  any  criticisms  on  his  judgment  or  his 
conduct.  She  was  convinced  that  he  was  not  to  be  interfered 
with.  She  bowed  to  his  superiority  with  more  than  usual  ma- 
ternal adoration. 

The  thought  of  his  mystical  birth,  the  belief  in  his  mystical 
mission,  for  so  many  years  submerged  in  her  mind,  had  now 
come  uppermost.  Feeling  a  little  as  if  she  had  wronged  him  by 
having  ever  listened  to  what  the  other  children  tliought  or  said 
about  him  ;  filled  with  a  noble  sadness  for  any  hour  in  which  she 
had  ever  wondered  or  questioned  whether  he  were  fated  to  grow 
into  a  grand  destiny,  she  plunged  herself  into  the  beautiful  de- 
votion which  only  a  woman  may  know  and  show,  and  only  for  a 
great  son. 

The  presence  of  his  mother  was  an  inexpressible  comfort  to 
Jesus  in  his  homeless  and  wandering  life.  With  starting  tears 
we  thank  God  that  he  had  it,  and  had  it  just  when  he  did.  For 
he  stood  trembling  on  the  height  of  his  success ;  filled  with  the 
perplexing  weariness,  with  the  vague  portents  slowly  assuming 
distiucter  outlines,  that  besieged  him  in  the  last  days  before  the 
decline  of  his  fortunes  set  in. 

He  moved  apart  from  his  dearest  friendships  in  the  inexorable 

loneliness  which  nothing  but  utter  love  could  approach  ;  and  the 

love  of  a  mother  who  does  not  ask  to  understand,  only  to  give,  was 

at  times  the  only  one  which  his  hurt  and  patient  heart  could  bear. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ.  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p,  203. 


GOING  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE    203 

Admiration  Melted  into  Adoration 
Idyllic  days  followed.  It  was  perhaps  uow  that,  for  the  first 
time,  He  began  to  teach  in  the  open  air.  The  local  synagogues  could 
not  contain  the  throngs  of  those  who  sought  to  see  and  hear  Him. 
Sometimes  He  sat  upon  a  hillside  and  discoursed  to  these  eager 
throngs,  who  forgot  all  sense  of  time  while  He  spoke.  At  other 
times  a  friendly  fisherman  lent  Him  his  boat,  and  from  it  He  would 
address  a  great  multitude  that  stood  upon  the  shores  of  the  lake. 

In  the  bright  spring  weather,  when  all  nature  was  fermenting 
with  new  life,  His  own  mind  expanded  with  a  similar  joy  of 
growth.  He  uttered  exquisite  truths  with  the  ease  and  felicity 
of  a  poet  who  is  assured  of  the  boundless  resources  of  his  own 
genius.  He  scattered  gems  of  thought  with  a  prodigal  profusion. 
Admiration  melted  into  adoration.  The  multitude  followed  Him 
from  place  to  place,  with  the  growing  sense  that  here  was  One 
whom  it  would  be  good  to  follow  to  the  world's  end. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  83. 

He  Qiose  Twelve  Whom  He  Named  Apostles 
And  it  came  to  pass  in  these  days,  that  he  went  out  into  the 
mountain  to  pray  ;  and  he  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God. 
And  when  it  was  day,  he  called  his  disciples  ;  and  he  chose  from 
them  twelve,  whom  also  he  named  apostles:  Simon,  whom  he  also 
named  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  brother,  and  James  and  John,  and 
Philip  and  Bartholomew,  and  Matthew  and  Thomas,  and  James 
the  son  of  Alphteus,  and  Simon  who  was  called  the  Zealot,  and 
Judas  the  sou  of  James,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  who  became  a  traitor. 
Luke  vi.  12-16.     American  Revision. 

The  Four  Lists  of  the  Twelve  Compared 


Simon, 

Simon, 

Simon, 

Peter, 

Andrew, 

James, 

Andrew, 

John, 

James, 

John, 

James, 

James, 

John, 

Andrew, 

John, 

Andrew, 

Philip, 

Philip, 

Philip, 

Philip, 

Bartholomew, 

Bartholomew, 

Bartholomew, 

Thomas, 

Thomas, 

Matthew, 

Matthew, 

Bartholomew, 

Matthew, 

Thomas, 

Thomas, 

Matthew, 

James  of  Alphaens, 

James  of  Alphseus 

James  of  Alphajus, 

,  James  of  Alphseus, 

Lebbseus, 

Thaddseus, 

Simon  the  Zealot, 

Simon  the  Zealot, 

Simon  the  Canansean 

,  Simon  the  Canausean 

,  Judas  of  James, 

Judas  of  James. 

Judas  Iscariot. 

Judas  Iscariot. 

Jndaa  Iscariot. 

Blatt.  X.  2-4, 

Mark  iii.  16- 

-19. 

Luke  vi.  14-16. 

Acts  i.  13. 

W.  W. 

204      THE  STOJRY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Where  Each  of  Them  Had  Lived 

Christ  laid  no  stress  ou  their  former  social  position,  or  religious 
party,  for  they  included,  on  the  one  side,  a  publican,  who  was 
also  a  Levite,  and  on  the  other,  one  who  had  belonged  to  the 
ultra-puritan  zealots,  the  fanatical  party  of  Judas  the  Galilean. 
Nor  did  He  require  them  to  be  unmarried,  for  Peter,  we  know, 
had  a  wife,  and  if  we  may  trust  the  tradition  of  the  Armenian 
Church,  the  only  apostles  who  were  single  were  the  sons  of 
Zebedee,  and  Thomas. 

The  Capernaum  circle  yielded  Him  no  fewer  than  seven  of 
the  twelve, — Peter,  and  his  brother  Andrew,  who  lived  with 
him  ;  two  sons  from  the  house  of  Zebedee — James  and  John  ; 
two  sous  of  Alphseus, —James  the  Little,  and  Jude,  who  is 
commonly  distinguished  as  Lebbaeus,  the  stout-hearted, — or 
Thaddseus,  the  brave.  The  publican  Matthew  was  also  from 
Capernaum,  and  was  the  third  from  the  household  of  Alphseus, 
if  the  name  refer  to  the  father  of  James  the  Little  and  Jude  ;  and 
Philip  belonged  to  the  village  of  Bethsaida  in  its  immediate 
neighbourhood,  making  in  all,  eight  of  the  twelve,  virtually  from 
the  same  favoured  place.  Of  the  remaiuiiig  four,  Nathauael,  the 
son  of  Talmai,  the  Bartholomew  of  our  version,  was  from  Cana, 
ou  the  north  side  of  the  plain  of  El  Battauf,  on  which  Jesus  had 
so  often  looked  down  from  the  Nazareth  hill  top. 

Thomas— ready  to  die,  but  slow  to  believe  :  manly  aud  full  of 
grave  tenderness, — whose  Hebrew  name  was  sometimes  turned 
into  the  Greek  equivalent  Didymus,  "  the  twin,"— was  the  same 
person, — one  tradition  says, — as  Judas,  the  brother  of  Jesus,  as 
if  Mary  had  had  a  double  birth,  after  bearing  her  eldest  son.  If 
so,  one  of  the  household  amongst  whom  our  Saviour  had  grown  up, 
one  son  of  His  mother,  redeemed  the  general  coldness  of  the  rest. 

The  name  of  Simon  the  Zealot,  another  Galilean,  and  that  of 
the  only  apostle  from  Judea,— Judas,  the  traitor,  of  the  village 
of  Kerioth,  in  the  south  of  Judah— close  the  list. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D,,  Vol,  II,  p.  43. 

Illiterate  but  Not  Ignorant 
Illiterate  though  they  were,   these  first  disciples  were  not  al- 
together ignorant  men,   nor  chosen,   as  is  sometimes  imagined, 
from  among  the  lowest  classes.     They  were  men  of  what  we 


GOING  ABOUT  GALILEE  WITH  THE  TWELVE    205 

should  call  a  religious  nature.  Four  of  them  Jesus  found  at  the 
ford  of  Bethabara,  listening  with  attentive  ears  to  the  words  of 
John  the  Baptist.  A  fifth  had  evidently  looked  with  them  for 
the  coming  of  the  hope  of  Israel. 

They  were  not  without  some  culture.  They  probably  had,  all 
of  them,  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  that  popular  education  which 
even  in  those  degenerate  days  characterized  Judaism.  Philip 
and  Peter  were  both  acquainted  with  the  Greek  language.  The 
former  was  perhaps  a  Hellenist  by  birth  ;  at  least  his  name  would 
indicate  this.     The  same  may  be  said  of  Andrew. 

Matthew  was  a  ready  and  methodical  writer.  The  effect  of  his 
training  as  a  keeper  of  the  public  moneys  is  to  be  easily  seen  in 
his  Gospel,  the  most  systematic  and  orderly  in  its  arrangement  of 
the  four. 

Peter  was  a  man  of  considerable  means,  lived  in  his  own  house, 
where  he  hospitably  entertained  Jesus,  and  evidently  considered 
that  he  had  made  no  little  sacrifice  in  leaving  his  business  to 
follow  Christ. 

James  and  John  lived  with  their  father,  who  was  able  to  keep 
hired  servants,  and  to  carry  on  his  fishing  operations  on  a  some- 
what extensive  scale.  The  latter  had  such  relations  with  the 
high  priest  as  gave  him  easy  access  to  the  palace. 

On  the  whole,  it  may  be  inferred  that  Jesus  chose  his  apostles 
from  that  middle  class  which  Abraham  Lincoln  has  called  "  the 
plain  people,"  to  which  by  his  earthly  birth  Jesus  himself  be- 
longed, and  from  which  God's  providence  has  generally  chosen 
the  world's  great  men. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  217. 

The  Sea  of  Galilee 

I  have  a  longing  in  my  soul 

The  little  lake  to  see, 
Where  Jesus  walked  and  worked  and  talked — 

The  Sea  of  Galilee. 

A  sapphire  deep  in  setting  old — 

Dear  gem  of  all  the  earth  ! 
For  in  it  shone  the  face  of  One, 

Whose  love  gives  life  its  worth. 

Galilee,  Wayne  Whipple,  Zion's  Herald,  Vol.  LXXVII,  June  7,  1899,  p.  720. 


XV 

THE  SERMOK,  THE  PRAYER  AND  THE  RULE 

Truths  divine  came  mended  from  that  tongue. 

— Pope. 

Going  to  Hear  the  Young  Rabbi  Preach 

The  people,  both  meu  aud  womeu,  were  gathered  together  along 
the  sides  of  the  hill  above  a  little  valley.  They  sat  ou  the  grass, 
uuder  the  shade  of  the  palms  aud  oaks,  which  grew  side  by  side 
iu  this  fortunate  land.  And  the  murmurs  of  waters  descending 
from  above  was  in  our  ears. 

Then  I  saw  the  Teacher  come  down  the  mountain  from  above, 
where  he  had  passed  the  night  in  prayer  (as  some  of  his  disciples 
told  me),  while  the  disciples  slept  on  the  grass.  Such  was  the 
custom  of  the  Teacher.  He  had  no  fixed  hours  of  i^rayer,  like 
the  Pharisees ;  but  when  he  went  forth  to  any  work,  or  when  he 
did  any  important  action,  he  prayed  beforehand  for  power  to  do 
it  aright,  calling  on  God,  as  father,  to  aid  him  in  his  task.  Thus 
the  Helper  was  always  near  when  he  needed  help.  But  because 
he  did  not  pray  according  to  the  prayer  of  formality,  at  fixed 
seasons,  men  said  of  him  that  he  had  no  religion,  but  was  only 
a  man  of  morality.  Thus  men  judge  by  appearances,  aud  not 
righteously. 

And,  behold  !  as  I  drew  near,  the  Teacher  had  seated  himself 
on  a  stone  to  speak.  And  when  he  had  lifted  up  his  eyes  toward 
the  people,  who  sat  around  and  above  him  on  the  sides  of  the 
hill,  he  opened  his  mouth,  and  spoke  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
which  we  all  hoped  soon  to  see  in  our  laud.  First  of  all  he  told 
us  who  were  to  belong  to  the  kingdom,  and  how  happy  they 
would  be  as  servants  of  the  King  who  was  to  come,  even  the 
Messiah.  I  well  remember  the  first  word  he  spoke  ;  for  it  fell  ou 
my  ear  with  a  tone  and  power  which  aroused  my  soul  to  listen. 
The  word  was, — 

'' Blessed ! '"> 

206 


THE  SERMON,  THE  PRAYER  AND  THE  RULE  2()7 

And  then  he  paused,  and  looked  around  with  eyes  full  of  pity, 
as  he  saw  the  poor  people,  so  wretched,  so  forlorn,  hungry,  and 
half-naked  (for  there  weie  many  of  these  who  had  been  plun- 
dered of  all  they  had  by  Roman  soldiers),  and  many  sick,  also  ; 
others,  moreover,  who  were  rich  and  well,  with  some  rulers  and 
scribes  among  them.  And  all  listened  with  eagerness  for  the 
words  of  his  lips. 

Life  and    Times  of  Jesus  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  151. 

**Blesseds'' and  "Woes'' 

And  seeing  the  multitudes,  he  went  up  into  the  mountain  :  and 
when  he  had  sat  down,  his  disciples  came  unto  him  :  and  he 
opened  his  mouth  and  taught  them,  saying, 

Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  :  for  they  shall  be  comforted. 

Blessed  are  the  meek  :  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness:  for 
they  shall  be  filled. 

Blessed  are  the  merciful :  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see  God. 

Blessed  are  the  peacemakers  :  for  they  shall  be  called  sons  of 
God. 

Blessed  are  they  that  have  been  persecuted  for  righteousness' 
sake  :  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  reproach  you,  and  persecute  you, 

and  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely,   for  my  sake. 

Rejoice,   and  be  exceeding  glad  :   for  great  is  your  reward  in 

heaven  :  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets  that  were  before  you. 

llattheiv  V.  1-12.     American  Revision, 

But  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich  !  for  ye  have  received  your 
consolation. 

Woe  unto  you,  ye  that  are  full  now  !  for  ye  shal-1  hunger. 

Woe  unto  you,  ye  that  laugh  now  !  for  ye  shall  mourn  and 
weep. 

Woe  unto  you,  when  all  men  shall  speak  well  of  you  !  for  in 
the  same  manner  did  their  fathers  to  the  false  prophets. 
Luke  vi.  24-26.     American  Revision. 


208      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Beginning  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 

"Blessed  are  ye  poor,"  said  lie  again;  "for  ye  are  nearer  to 
the  kingdom  of  God  than  if  ye  were  rich."  And  then  he  stopped 
a  moment,  and  spoke  once  more  : — 

"  But  blessed  are  ye  whose  souls  are  poor  ;  for  the  kingdom  of 
God  has  come  unto  you  to  make  your  souls  rich. 

"  Blessed  are  ye  that  weep  now,  and  are  sad  ;  for  your  sadness 
shall  be  turned  to  joy." 

And  he  went  on,  and  pronounced  those  really  blessed  and 
fortunate  who  were  persecuted,  hated,  and  reviled,  and  whom 
men  should  cast  out,  because  they  were  the  friends  of  the  Son  of 
Man. 

And  I  said  to  Matthew,  "Who,  then,  is  this  Son  of  Man." 
But  he  made  no  reply. 

And  the  Teacher  went  on  and  said,  "Blessed  are  the  meek, 
and  the  merciful,  and  the  peacemakers,  and  the  pure  in  heart, 
and  all  who  seek  to  be  righteous."  And  he  said  that  all  these 
were  the  true  sons  of  the  kingdom.  And  I  was  greatly  astonished, 
both  at  his  majesty  with  which  he  spoke,  and  at  the  nature  of  his 
teaching. 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  as  Belated  by   Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  152. 

The  Beatitudes  a  Bill  of  Rights 

.  Luke's  version  gives  the  Beatitudes  in  a  rough  but  fiery 
strength.  And  we  discover  that  The  Carpenter's  reference  to 
the  "poor  in  spirit"  was  in  order  that  they  might  get  over 
being  poor  in  spirit ;  he  insisted  that  they  were  inheritors,  in 
order  to  rouse  them  up  to  claim  their  inheritance.  To  the  hungry 
he  promised  a  state  of  society  in  which  they  would  no  longer  be 
on  short  rations,  nor  would  the  sorrowful  then  be  called  upon  to 
endure  the  brutalities  which  were  turning  their  day  into  night. 

Those  "Blesseds"  were  words  of  compliment  and  cheer  to 
working  people,  and  were  designed  to  awaken  their  self-respect 
to  a  point  where  they  would  stand  up  against  the  invader.  The 
Carpenter  believed  in  the  dignity  of  labor.  .  .  .  "Blessed 
therefore,  are  ye  that  hunger  now,  for  ye  shall  be  filled  ;  blessed 
are  ye  that  weep  now,  for  ye  shall  laugh ;  blessed  are  ye  when  the 
framers  of  social  caste  separate  you  from  their  company  because 


THE  SERMON,  THE  PRAYER  AND  THE  RULE  209 

you  are  a  workiugmau  and  are  followers  of  me,  a  workingman  ; 
for  iu  the  kiugdoiii  of  self-respect  that  is  coming,  your  reward 
shall  be  great. ' ' 

Those  ' '  Beatitudes ' '  coustitute  a  Bill  of  Rights.  The  Sermon 
ou  the  Mount  ranks  high  among  the  inflammatory  manifestos  of 
the  world. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  108. 

**"Woe  onto  You  of  Whom  *  The  System  ♦  Speaks  Well  I  "* 
Quite  otherwise  than  in  this  congratulatory  strain  shall  we  find 
him  speaking  when  he  is  outside  of  Galilee,  amongst  Judea's 
upper-class  circles.  And  even  now — in  Luke — he  follows  up  his 
"Blesseds"  with  another  series  .  .  .  his  "Woes"  to  the 
parasite,  the  exploiter,  the  well-fed  idler.  "  Woe  unto  you  that 
are  rich  !  Woe  unto  you  that  are  full  !  Woe  unto  you  that  laugh 
in  your  cushioned  places  of  ease  !  Woe  unto  you  of  whom  'The 
System'  speaks  well !" 

The  "world,"  as  Jesus  used  the  term,  meant  not  the  physical 
as  distinguished  from  the  spiritual.  .  .  .  By  it  he  meant  the 
banded  exploiters  at  the  top  of  society  who  spend  wealth  that 
they  have  not  created,  and  therefore  spend  it  vaingloriously. 
Earned  wealth  is  good,  but  unearned  wealth  is  a  corrosive  in  any 
man's  life.  And  this  class  of  privileged  ones,  receiving  revenue 
unrighteously  and  therefore  spending  it  unrighteously,  is  what 
Jesus  signified  by  the  "world."  "If  the  world  hate  you,  ye 
know  that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you." 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  109. 

The  Salt  and  the  Light 

"  You  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  ;  but  if  the  salt  should  lose  its 
strength,  with  what  can  itself  be  salted  ?  It  is  then  good  for 
nothing,  but  to  be  flung  out  and  trodden  under  foot  by  mankind. 

"You  are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  town  built  upon  a  hill 
cgpnot  be  concealed.  A  lamp  is  never  lighted  and  placed  under 
a  corn  measure,  but  upon  the  lampstand  ;  and  it  gives  light  to 
all  those  in  the  house.  Thus  let  your  light  shine  in  the  presence 
of  mankind  ;  so  that  they  may  see  your  good  conduct,  and  praise 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven." 

Matthew  v.  13-16.    The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  37. 


210      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Against  Vows  and  Retaliation 
''  Agaiu,  you  have  heard  that  to  our  aucestors  it  was  said  — 
*' '  Thou  shalt  not  break  aa  oath,  but  thou  shalb  keep  thine 
oaths  as  a  debt  due  to  the  Lord.' 

"  I,  liowever,  say  to  you  that  you  must  not  swear  at  all,  either 
by  Heaven,  since  tbat  is  God's  throne,  or  by  the  earth,  since  that  is 
liis  footstool,  or  by  Jerusalem,  since  that  is  the  city  of  the  Great 
King.     Nor  should  you  swear  by  your  head,  since  you  cannot  make 
a  single  hair  either  white  or  black.     Let  your  words  be  simply 
*  Yes '  or  *  No  '  ;  anything  beyond  this  comes  from  what  is  wrong. 
"  You  have  heard  that  it  was  said  — 
"  '  An  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.' 
''I,  however,  say  to  you  that  you  must  not  resist  wrong  ;  but, 
if  any  one  strikes  you  on  the  right  cheek,  turn  the  other  to  him 
also ;  and,  when  any  one  wants  to  go  to  law  with  you,  to  take 
your  coat,  let  him  have  your  cloak  as  well  ;  and,  if  any  one  com- 
pels you  to  go  one  mile,  go  two  miles  with  him.     Give  to  him 
who  asks  of  you  ;  and,  from  him  who  wants  to  borrow  from  you, 
do  not  turn  away." 

Matthew  v.  33-42.     The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Blodern  English, 
p.  51. 

** Resist  Not  Evil!*' 

I  now  understood  the  words  of  Jesns:  "  Ye  have  heard  that  it 
hath  been  said,  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth :  bvt  I  say 
unto  you.  That  ye  resist  not  evilJ'  Jesus'  meaning  is  :  You  have 
thought  that  you  were  acting  in  a  reasonable  manner  in  defending 
yourself  by  violence  against  evil,  in  tearing  out  an  eye  for  an  eye, 
by  fighting  against  evil  with  criminal  tribunals,  guardians  of  the 
peace,  armies ;  but  I  say  unto  you,  "  Renounce  violence ;  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  violence ;  do  harm  to  no  one,  not  eveu  to  your  enemy. ' ' 

I  understood  now  that  in  saying  "  Resist  not  evil,"  Jesus  not 
only  told  us  what  would  result  from  the  observance  of  this  rule, 
but  established  a  new  basis  for  society  conformable  to  his  doctrine 
and  opposed  to  the  social  basis  established  by  the  law  of  Moses, 
by  Roman  law,  and  by  the  different  codes  in  force  to-day.  He 
formulated  a  new  law  whose  eifect  would  be  to  deliver  humanity 
from  its  self-inflicted  woes.  His  declaration  was  :  "  You  believe 
that  your  laws  reform  criminals  ;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they  only 
make  more  criminals.     There  is  only  one  way  to  suppress  evil. 


THE  SERMON,  THE  PRAYER  AND  THE  RULE  211 

and  that  is  to  return  good  for  evil,  without  respect  of  persons. 
For  thousands  of  years  you  have  tried  the  other  method,  now  try 
mine, — try  the  reverse." 

My  Religion,  Count  Leo  Tolstoi,  p.  38. 

The  Lord's  Prayer  in  Old  Saxont  by  Alfred  the  Great 
Among  the  noble  reforms  originated  by  Alfred  the  Great  were 
the  "Dooms,"  or  statutes  he  framed  for  his  people,  beginning 
with  the  Ten  Commandments.  By  his  translations  from  the  Bible 
Alfred  did  much  toward  the  fulfilment  of  his  own  belief,  oft  re- 
peated, "that  all  the  freeborn  youth  of  his  kingdom  should  em- 
ploy themselves  ou  nothing  till  they  could  first  read  well  the 
English  Scripture." 
Here  is  the  Lord's  Prayer  of  Alfred  : 

Vren  Fader  dhic  art  in  heofnas,  sic  gehalged  dhiu 
noma.  To  cymedh  ric.  Sic  dhin  uuilla  sue  is  in 
heofnas  and  in  eardho.  Vreu  hlaf  ofer  uuirthe  sel 
vs  to  daeg.  And  forgef  us  scylda  vrna,  sue  uue 
forgefan  sculdgun  vrum.  And  no  inlead  vridk  in 
costnuug,  al  gefrig  vrich  from  ifle. 
The  Lord's  Prayer,  in  the  Vulgate,  ends  with  "Deliver  us 
from  evil." 

The  Wonder-Story  of  the  English  Bible,  Wayne  Whipple,  from  manuscript. 

From  Wycliffe's  Bible 

Oure  fadir  that  art  in  heueues  halowid  be  thi  name/thi  kyug- 

dom  come  to/ be  thi  wille  don  in  erthe  as  in  heuene/5eue  to  us 

this  day  oure  breed  ouir  other  subsiaunce/ for  oQxie  to  vsoure  dettis, 

as  we  forSeuen  to  oure  dettouris/lede  us  not  in  to  temptacioun  : 

but  delyuer  us  from  yuel  amen/ 

From  3Iatthew  vi,   WyclifEe's  Translation,  in   1380,  before  chapters  were 
broken  up  into  verses. 

Tyndale's  Translation 
(The  word  "  trespasses,"  for  debts  or  sins,  is  not  found  in  the 
modern  translations,  yet  that  is  the  form  most  used  in  the  churches. 
The  English  Church  took  much  of  its  ritual  from  the  Tyndale 
Bible  before  the  King  James  translation  was  made,  in  1611.) 

And  when  ye  praye/bable  not  moche/as  the  hetheu  do  ;  for 
they  thincke  that  they  shalbe  herde/for  their  moche  bablyngea 


212      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

sake.  Be  ye  not  lyke  theiu  therfore.  For  youre  father  knowetb 
wlierof  ye  haue  ueade/  before  ye  axe  of  him.  After  thys  maner 
therfore  praye  ye. 

O  oure  father  which  arte  in  heven/halowed  be  thy  name.  Let 
thy  kyngdome  come.  Thy  wyll  be  fulfilled/' as  well  in  erth/as  it 
ys  iu  heveu.  Gev^e  vs  this  daye  oure  dayly  breede.  And  forgeve 
vs  oure  treaspases/even  as  we  forgeve  oure  trespacers.  And  leade 
vs  not  into  temptacion  :  but  delyver  vs  from  evell.  For  thyne  is 
the  kyngedome  and  the  power/ and  the  glorye  for  ever.  Amen. 
From  Matthew  vi,  Tyndale's  Translation,  1534,  before  chapters  were  sub- 
divided into  verses. 

From  Luther's  Bible 
Our  Father  in  the  heaven.  May  thy  name  become  hallowed. 
Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  come  to  pass  on  earth  as  iu  heaven. 
Our  daily  bread  give  us  to-day.  And  forgive  us  our  debts  as  we 
our  debtors  forgive.  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  de- 
liver us  from  the  evil.  For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power, 
and  the  glory  in  eteruity.     Amen. 

Matlhew  vi,  9-13.  Luther's  Original  Translation,  rendered  literally 
by  W.  W. 

From  the  Roman  Catholic  Bible 

{Commonly  known  as  the  Douay  Bible.     Old  Testament  first  published  at  Douay, 
France,  in  1609,  the  New  Testament  at  Eheims  in  1582.) 

Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy 
kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 
Give  us  this  day  our  supersubstantial  bread.  And  forgive  us  our 
debts,  as  we  also  forgive  our  debtors.  And  lead  us  not  into 
temptation.     But  deliver  us  from  evil.     Amen. 

St.  Mattheio  vi.  9-13.  Revised  and  published  under  the  approval  of  the 
Most  Reverend  John  Hughes,  D.  D.,  Archbishop  of  New  York,  with  the 
imprint  of  T.  W.  Strong,  1872. 

,   For  All  Races,  All  Ages 

{The  Summing  up  of  a  Hindoo  Leader) 

.  .  .  I  will  .  conclude  with  a  few  words  on  the  model 
prayer  of  Christ.  I  consider  it  to  be  a  marvelous  utterance. 
Many  consider  it  deficient  in  passion.  To  me,  it  has  the  calm 
hush  .  of  the  whole  world's  future.  Not  a  sentence  of  that 
prayer  has  been  exhausted  in  two  thousand  years.     How  many 


THE  SERMON,  THE  PRAYER  AND  THE  RULE  213 

thousand  years  will  search  its  heights  and  depths  !  The  more 
I  gain  in  faith  and  lose  in  self,  the  more  grows  ujDon  me  the 
tranquil  majesty  of  the  Lord's  Prayer.  "Our  Father  which  art 
in  heaven  "  unites  all  mankind  in  the  two-fold  bond  of  filial  and 
fraternal  love.  "Hallowed  be  thy  name"  concentrates  all  the 
essence  of  worship,  holy  hymn,  and  pious  utterance.  "Thy 
kingdom  come  "  involves  the  prayer  and  effort  of  all  religious 
dispensations.  "Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven  " 
includes  every  aspiration  after  personal  and  social  morality,  and 
represents  the  practical  application  of  the  foregoing  prayer. 

The  entire  teaching  of  faith,  resignation,  and  asceticism,  with 
which  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  full,  finds  expression  in  the 
simple,  childlike  petition  of  "Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 
The  model  prayer  condenses  its  universal  magnitude  into  a 
pathetic,  personal  character,  when  the  Father  is  asked  to  "for- 
give us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against 
us."  And  this  culminates  in  the  supplication,  "  Lead  us  not  into 
temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil. " 

These  seven  prayers  fit  into  each  other  like  component  parts  of 
a  finished  piece  of  mechanism.  They  suit  all  races,  all  ages,  all 
stages  of  personal  and  national  progress.  From  the  grandest  to 
the  humblest  aspirations  of  humanity,  they  embody  all,  they 
represent  everything.  Each  one  of  them  can  be  separated  into 
ten  thousand  prayers,  each  prayer  equally  real,  equally  sweet. 
Yes,  the  Lord's  Prayer  was  the  essence  of  Christ's  prayerful uess. 
It  was  his  inner,  intense  life,  poured  out  into  audible  supplica- 
tion. His  utterances,  his  thoughts,  his  attitudes,  his  life,  and 
his  death,  moulded  into  a  model  for  all  men  to  fall  into,  con- 
stitute the  Lord's  Prayer. 

The  Oriental  Christ,  P,  C.  Mozoomdar,  p.  83. 

Ask,  Seek,  Knock,  for  God  Is  Willing 
Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ,•  seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ; 
knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you  :  for  every  one  that 
asketh  receiveth  ;  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth  ;  and  to  him  that 
knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.  Or  what  man  is  there  of  you,  who, 
if  his  son  shall  ask  for  a  loaf  will  he  give  him  a  stone  ;  or  if  he 
shall  ask  for  a  fish,  will  give  him  a  serpent?  If  ye  then,  being 
evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much 


214      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

more  shall  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  give  good  things  to 
them  that  ask  him  1 

Matthew  vii.  7-11.     American  Revision. 

The  Golden  Rule 
As  Found  in  Matthew. 
All  things  therefore  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do 
unto  you,  even  so  do  ye  also  unto  them  :  for  this  is  the  law  and 
the  prophets. 

Matthew  vii.  12.     Revised  Version. 

As  Given  by  Luke. 
And  as  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them 

likewise. 

Luke  vi.  31.     Revised  Version. 

Hillers  Noble  Answer  Misleading 
"All  things,  therefore,  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should 
do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them,  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  proph- 
ets." The  Law  had  said,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as 
thyself,"  but  it  had  meant  by  a  neighbour  a  Jew  or  a  proselyte, 
and  had  commanded  the  extirpation  of  the  Canaanites,  and 
sanctioned  merciless  war  with  the  heathen  around. 

These  grand  words  were,  therefore,  a  rule  for  the  nation 
towards  its  own  members,  but  no  great  law  for  mankind.  But 
Jesus  ignores  this  narrowness,  and  proclaims  all  men  brethren, 
as  common  children  of  one  Father  in  Heaven.  This  golden  rule 
had  been  proclaimed  more  or  less  fully  before.  It  is  found  in 
Socrates  and  Menander,  and  even  in  the  Chinese  classics.  Philo 
quotes,  as  an  old  Jewish  saying,  "Do  not  to  others  what  you 
would  be  unwilling  to  suffer ;"  and  the  book  of  Tobit  enjoins, 
"  Do  that  to  no  man  which  thou  hatest." 

In  the  generation  before  Jesus  it  had  been  repeated  by  Hillel 
to  a  heathen,  who  mockingly  asked  him  if  he  could  teach  him  the 
whole  Law  while  he  stood  on  one  foot.  "What  you  would  not 
like  done  to  yourself,  do  not  to  thy  neighbour,"  replied  the  rabbi 
— "this  is  the  whole  Law  :  all  the  rest  is  a  commentary  on  it — 
go  learn  this."  But,  as  Hillel  gave  it,  this  noble  answer  was  only 
misleading. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Chnst,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  81. 


THE  SERMON,  THE  PRAYER  AND  THE  RULE  215 

**  A  New  Spirit,  Making  the  Letter  New  ** 

Also  in  that  great  saying  which  is  now  called  "the  command- 
ment made  of  gold,"  "Do  to  others  all  things  ye  would  they 
should  do  unto  you,"  there  was  no  newness  in  the  letter.  For  I 
remember  hearing  that  a  Gentile  once  came  to  Shammai,  and 
said,  "Tell  me  the  substance  of  the  whole  law,  and  all  things 
essential  therein,  while  I  stand  on  one  foot."  And  Shammai 
drove  him  away  in  auger.  But  he  came  to  Hillel  with  this  re- 
quest;  and  Hillel  replied,  "Yea,  verily,  the  whole  law  is  here  : 
'  That  which  is  odious  to  thyself,  do  it  not  to  thy  neighbor.'  " 

Therefore  I  said,  "  The  letter  of  this  teaching  is  not  new.     It  is 

not  a  new  framework  of  thought,  uttered  in  sayings  not  heard 

before  ;  but  it  is  the  old  and  everlasting  truth  of  all  the  religions 

of  men,  made  alive  once  more  for  all  men  to  believe  :  it  is  a  new 

spirit,  making  the  letter  new."     In  spring  all  nature  appears 

new,  though  the  leaves  of  the  fig  and  the  vine  are  no  novelties, 

but  shaped  exactly  as  they  were  last  year. 

Life  and   Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  162. 

The  Golden  Role  of  Confwcios 

As  a  moralist  he  [Confucius]  must  always  rank  high  among  the 
teachers  of  mankind.  Five  hundred  years  before  Christ  he  taught 
— in  the  negative  form,  it  is  true, — that  "most  unshaken  rule  of 
morality,  and  foundation  of  all  social  virtue,"  "  All  things  what- 
soever ye  would  that  men  should  do  unto  you  do  ye  even  so  to 
them."  "What  you  do  not,"  he  said,  "want  done  to  yourself 
do  not  do  to  others."  The  difference  between  this  and  the  Chris- 
tian rule  will  at  once  be  apparent ;  but  it  is  nevertheless  a 
notable  fact  that  Confucius  should  have  so  nearly  approached  it. 
Confucianism  and  Taouism,  Robert  K.  Douglas,  p.  143. 

Like  a  Man  of  Atithority 

And  it  came  about  that  when  Jesus  had  finished  these  ad- 
dresses, the  crowd  were  astonished  at  His  teaching  ;  for  He  had 
been  teaching  them  like  a  man  possessing  authority,  and  not  as 
their  professors. 

Matthew  vii.  28.     The  New  Testament  in  3Iodern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton, 
p.  40. 


216      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

He  Alone  Had  Sight 

I  sat  alone  in  the  shade  of  a  terebinth  tree,  for  the  Teacher  and 
the  multitude  were  gone.  "In  truth,"  I  said  to  myself,  "the 
hearer  was  right  who  said  that  this  man's  teaching  is  not  like 
that  of  the  scribes.  The  scribes  debate  concerning  every  ques- 
tion, and  give  many  reasons  for  the  one  side,  and  many  for  the 
other.  They  fill  their  mouths  with  arguments,  and  what  one  says 
another  denies.  They  are  ever  seeking,  but  care  little  for  find- 
ing ;  and  thus  a  mist  of  doubt  hangs  over  all  matters.  If  Hillel 
and  his  school  say  this,  then  Shammai  and  his  school  say  some- 
thing different.  In  truth,  they  declare  this  uncertainty  to  be 
good  ;  since  it  leaves  the  minds  of  the  learned  men  free,  so  they 
examine  always,  yet  are  not  they  tied  to  any  belief.  But  this 
makes  of  truth  something  for  our  amusement,  and  not  that  by 
which  we  live."  For  I  had  felt  in  myself  the  misery  of  an  empty 
soul. 

But  our  new  Teacher,  Jesus,  seemed  not  like  a  seeker  after 
truth,  but  as  one  who  had  found  it ;  for,  if  a  man  has  found  a 
diamond,  he  does  not  give  reasons  to  prove  that  he  has  found  a 
diamond,  but  rather  opens  his  hand,  and  shows  it.  Jesus  opened 
his  hand,  and  showed  us  the  jewels  of  truth  which  he  held  therein. 
He  gave  no  reasons,  he  used  no  arguments,  but  simply  said, 
"Look,  and  see."  Thus  he  differed  from  the  scribes,  and  spoke 
with  authority. 

I  have  heard  men  speak  with  authority  of  another  sort.  They 
say,  "Believe  me  :  I  know  I  am  right.  No  one  knows  so  much 
as  I."  Such  men  have  the  authority  of  will,  but  not  that  of 
knowledge.  They  believe  as  they  choose,  and  so  speak  with  a 
tone  of  violence  ;  and,  if  opposed,  they  speak  more  loudly,  and 
bear  down  the  opposers.  But  he  who  is  certain  of  what  he  sajs 
is  not  violent.  If  I  talk  with  blind  men,  who  see  not  the  sun,  I 
do  not  become  wroth  against  them,  but  seek  to  explain  to  them 
what  I  see,  saying,  "  Here  is  a  house,  and  here  a  tree,  and  here  a 
lake  of  water." 

Thus  spake  Jesus,  and  we  appeared  to  ourselves  as  blind  men 
while  he  spake,  and  that  he  alone  had  sight. 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p,  164. 


XVI 

A  HOPELESS  LEPER,  A  CAPTAIN'S  SLAVE,  AND  A 
WIDOW'S  SON 

One  that  was  dead, 
The  only  sou  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow. 

— Luke  vii.  12. 

His  First  Healing  of  a  Leper 

When  Jesus  had  coine  down  from  the  hill,  great  crowds  fol- 
lowed him.  And  he  saw  a  leper  who  came  up,  and  bowed  to  the 
ground  before  him,  and  said  : 

"Master,  if  only  you  are  willing,  you  are  able  to  make  me 
clean." 

Stretching  out  his  hand,  Jesus  touched  him,  saying  as  he 
did  so : 

"  I  am  willing  ;  become  clean." 

Instantly  he  was  made  clean  from  his  leprosy  ;  and  then  Jesus 
said  to  him  : 

"Be  careful  not  to  say  a  word  to  any  one,  but  go  and  show 

yourself  to  the  priest,  and  offer  the  gift  directed  by  Moses,  as 

evidence  of  your  cure." 

Matthew  viii.  1-4.     The  Twentieth  Century  Neio  Testament  in  Modern  English, 
p.  54. 

•  The  Worst  Form 
As  He  descended  the  mountain,  and  was  just  entering  one  of 
the  little  towns,  probably  a  short  distance  in  advance  of  the  mul- 
titude, who  from  natural  respect  would  be  likely  to  leave  Him 
undisturbed  after  His  labours,  a  pitiable  spectacle  met  His  eyes. 
Suddenly,  with  agonies  of  entreaty,  falling  first  on  his  knees,  then, 
in  the  anguish  of  his  heart  and  the  intensity  of  his  supplication, 
prostrating  himself  upon  his  face,  there  appeared  before  Him, 
with  bare  head,  and  rent  garments,  and  covered  lip,  a  leper — 
"full  of  leprosy" — smitten  with  the  worst  and  foulest  form  of 
that  loathsome  and  terrible  disease. 

217 


218      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

It  must,  indeed,  have  required  ou  the  part  of  the  poor  wretch  a 
stupendous  faith  to  believe  that  the  youug  Prophet  of  Nazareth 
was  Que  who  could  heal  a  disease  of  which  the  worst  misery  was 
the  belief  that,  when  once  thoroughly  seated  in  the  blood,  it  was 
ineradicable  and  progressive.  And  yet  the  concentrated  hope  of 
a  life  broke  out  in  the  man's  impassioned  piayer,  "  Lord,  if  Thou 
wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me  clean."  Prompt  as  an  echo  came  the 
answer  to  his  faith,  '•  I  will  :  be  thou  clean." 

All  Christ's  miracles  are  revelations  also.  Sometimes,  when 
the  circumstances  of  the  case  required  it.  He  delayed  His  answer 
to  a  sufferer's  prayer.  But  we  are  never  told  that  there  was  a 
moment's  pause  when  a  leper  cried  to  Him.  Leprosy  was  an 
acknowledged  type  of  sin,  and  Christ  would  teach  us  that  the 
heartfelt  prayer  of  the  sinner  to  be  purged  and  cleansed  is  always 
met  by  instantaneous  acceptance.  When  David,  the  type  of  all 
true  penitents,  cried  with  intense  contrition,  "I  have  sinned 
against  the  Lord,"  Nathan  could  instantly  convey  to  him  God's 
gracious  message,  "The  Lord  also  hath  put  away  thy  sin  ;  thou 
shalt  not  die." 

Instantly  stretching  forth  His  hand,  our  Lord  touched  the 
leper,  and  he  was  cleansed. 

It  was  a  glorious  violation  of  the  letter  of  the  Law,  which  at- 
tached ceremonial  pollution  to  a  leper's  touch  ;  but  it  was  at  the 
same  time  a  glorious  illustration  of  the  spirit  of  the  Law,  which 
was  that  mercy  is  better  than  sacrifice.  The  hand  of  Jesus  was 
not  polluted  by  touching  the  leper's  body,  but  the  leper's  whole 
body  was  cleansed  by  the  touch  of  that  holy  hand.  It  was  even 
thus  that  He  touched  our  sinful  human  nature,  and  yet  remained 
without  spot  of  sin. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  274. 

The  Friendly  Roman  Officer 

After  he  had  ended  all  his  sayings  in  the  ears  of  the  people,  he 
entered  Capernaum. 

And  a  certain  centurion's  servant,  who  was  dear  unto  him,  was 
sick  and  at  the  point  of  death.  And  when  he  heard  concerning 
Jesus,  he  sent  unto  him  elders  of  the  Jews,  asking  him  that  he 
would  come  and  save  his  servant. 

And  they,  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  besought  him  earnestly. 


A  LEPER,  A  SLAVE  AND  A  WIDOW'S  SON    219 

saying,  He  is  worthy  that  thou  shouldest  do  this  for  him  ;  for  he 
loveth  our  nation,  and  himself  built  us  our  synagogue.  And 
Jesus  went  with  them. 

Luke  vii.  1-6.     Aiuericau  Revision. 


He  Told  the  Centurion  He  Would  0)me 

Our  blessed  Jesus  proceeded  to  Capernaum  ;  but  as  he  entered 
the  city,  he  was  met  by  a  Roman  centurion,  who  represented  to 
him,  in  the  most  pathetic  manner,  the  deplorable  condition  of  his 
servant,  who  was  grievously  afflicted  with  a  palsy.  The  com- 
jiassionate  Redeemer  of  the  world  listened  attentively  to  his 
complaint,  and  immediately  told  him  he  would  come  and  heal 
him.  The  centurion  thought  this  too  great  a  condescension  to 
one  who  was  not  of  the  seed  of  Jacob,  and  therefore  told  him  that 
he  did  not  mean  that  he  should  give  himself  the  trouble  of  going 
to  his  house,  which  was  an  honour  he  had  not  the  least  reason  to 
expect,  being  confident  that  his  word  alone  would  be  sufficient ; 
disease  and  devils  being  as  much  subject  to  his  commands  as  his 
soldiers  were  to  him. 

The  Illustrated  Life  of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.     The  Rev.  Johu 
Fleetwood,  D.  D.,  p.  87. 

The  Wonderful  Faith  of  a  Foreigner 

There  came  to  him  a  centurion,  beseeching  him,  saying,  "Lord, 
my  servant  is  lying  in  the  house  sick  of  the  palsy,  grievously 
afflicted." 

And  he  said  to  him,  "I  will  come  and  heal  him." 

And  the  centurion  answered  and  said,  "  Lord,  I  am  not  worthy 
that  thou  shouldest  come  under  my  roof ;  but  only  say  the  word, 
and  ray  servant  shall  be  healed.  For  I  also  am  a  man  of  author- 
ity, having  under  myself  soldiers:  and  I  say  to  this  one,  'Go,' 
and  he  goes ;  and  to  another,  '  Come,'  and  he  comes,  and  to  my 
servant,  '  Do  this,'  and  he  does  it." 

And  when  Jesus  heard  it,  he  marveled,  and  said  to  those  that 
followed,  "  Verily  I  say  to  you,  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith, 
no,  not  in  Israel  !  And  I  say  to  you,  that  many  shall  come  from 
the  east  and  the  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  but  the  sons  of  the 


220      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

kingdom  shall  be  cast  forth  into  the  outer  darkness ;  there  shall 
be  the  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth." 

And  Jesus  said  to  the  centurion,  ''  Go  thy  way  ;  as  thou  hast 
believed,  so  be  it  done  to  thee." 

And  the  servant  was  healed  in  that  hour. 
3Iatthew  viii.  5-13.     Revised  Version,  usiug  Marginals,  etc. 

**  I  Have  Not  Found  Sttch  Faith  Even  in  Israel 

Jesus  stopped  full  of  astonishment.  The  humility  and  trust  of 
this  Gentile  touched  him. 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you,"  he  cried,  "I  have  not  found  so 
great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel." 

His  thoughts,  which  always  extended  far  beyond  the  immediate 
present,  pictured  in  this  man  the  whole  Gentile  world,  which  was 
to  do  honour  to  him,  whom  the  Jews  should  reject. 

"  Many  shall  come,"  said  he,  "from  the  east  and  west,  and  shall 
sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  Kingdom 
of  heaven.  But  the  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  into 
outer  darkness  ;  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth." 

Then  replying  to  the  friends  of  the  centurion,  "Go  and  say  to 
the  centurion,  that  it  shall  be  done  unto  him  as  he  has  believed." 
Jesus  Christ,  The  Rev.  Father  Didou,  Vol.  I,  p.  344. 

And  they  that  were  sent,  returning  to  the  house,  found  the 
servant  whole. 

Luke  vii.  10.     American  Revision. 

Nearing  the  Town  of  Nain 
Soon  after  this,  He  proceeded  to  a  town  called  Nain  ;  and  His 
disciples  accompanied  Him,  together  with  a  large  crowd. 

Now  as  He  came  near  to  the  gate  of  the  town,  they  were  carry- 
ing out,  dead,  an  only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she  was  a  widow  ; 
and  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  with  her. 

Luke  vii.  11, 12.     The  Neio  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Feuton,  p.  98. 

*'What  Is  the  Rabbi  Doing?** 
They  were  traveling  towards  a  little  Galilean  town  (its  name 
was  Nain;  "The  Delightful"), — he  still  silent,  and  the  whole 


A  LEPER,  A  SLAVE  AND  A  WIDOW'S  SON    221 

company  quieter  tliau  usual, — when  they  saw  before  them,  as 
evening  came  ou,  the  sombre  movement  of  a  funeral  procession, 
preceded  by  womeu,  a  custom  peculiar  to  Galilee.  Hired  mourn- 
ers were  chanting  : 

"  Alas,  the  hero  ! 
Alas,  alas,  the  lion  !  " 

The  air  was  so  still  that  the  sound  of  the  dirge  came  mourufally 
to  a  distant  ear. 

By  the  impressive  Oriental  custom,  courtesy  required  each 
traveler  to  stop  his  journey  and  join  the  mourners.  The  dead 
and  the  bereaved  might  be  strangers,  but  grief  was  the  awful 
acquaiutauce  of  all  humanity. 

Jesus  and  his  followers,  obeying  the  etiquet  of  the  occasion, 
moved  up  to  attach  themselves  to  the  cortege  which  was  slowly 
winding  its  way  to  the  burial.  One  of  the  beautiful  but  hopeless 
names  given  by  the  Hebrews  to  the  grave  was.  The  House  of 
Eternity.  Many  of  them  had  but  little  if  any  hope  of  life  beyond, 
and  the  dreariness  of  their  funerals  had  not  much  to  relieve  it. 

But  what  was  the  Rabbi  doing'?  Etiquet  did  not  call  upon  him 
to  give  orders  to  the  burial  procession.  Custom  did  not  allow 
him  to  stop  the  bearers.  Yet  they  had  stopped.  Jesus  himself 
pushed  forward  to  the  wicker  bier,  and  stood  resolutely  beside  it. 
The  spectators  were  somewhat  shocked  when  they  saw  the  Rabbi, 
who  was  neither  a  natural  nor  a  hired  mourner,  so  concerning 
himself  with  this  funeral. 

The  Story  ofJesua  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  176. 


**  Young  Man,  I  Say,  Arise !  ** 

And  when  Jesus  saw  her,  he  took  pity  on  her,  and  said  to  her, 
"Weep  not." 

And  he  came  near  and  touched  the  bier  :  and  the  bearers  stood 
still.     And  he  said,  "  Young  man,  I  say  to  thee.  Arise  !  " 

And  he  that  was  dead  sat  up,  and  began  to  speak. 

And  he  gave  him  to  his  mother. 

And  fear  seized  them  all  :  and  they  glorified  God,  saying,  "A 
great  prophet  is  arisen  among  us !  "  and,  ' '  God  has  visited  his 
people ! " 


222      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Aud  this  report  went  forth  conceruiDg  him  in  the  whole  of 
Jiidea,  and  all  the  region  round. 

Luke  vii.  13-17.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

"  Lord  God  of  Israel,  What  Kind  of  Man  Is  This?" 

Now,  swelling  from  all  the  people,  accidental  and  awed  wit- 
nesses of  this  tremendous  scene,  there  surged  cries  and  murmurs, 
fright  aud  worship  battling  : 

"Nay,  nay!  Spare  us!  Flee!  Pray!  Jehovah  have  mercy 
upon  us  !     Lord  God  of  Israel,  what  kind  of  man  is  this  ?  " 

For  the  frozen  arms  of  the  dead  had  clasped  the  Nazarene 
around  the  neck  ;  and  the  icy  lips,  which  an  hour  hence  would 
have  been  shut  down  forever  beneath  the  earth,  had  melted  into 
broken  words. 

A  woman's  cry  rang  to  the  very  footstool  of  God.  When  the 
weak  or  the  aged  die  of  joy  they  cry  like  that. 

But  the  Nazarene  solemnly  put  the  young  man  into  his  mother's 
arms  and  turned  away.     .     .     . 

Many  of  the  people  had  fled  in  terror  from  this  sight ;  but  some 
remained,  aud  those  who  did  fell  flat  upon  the  ground  in  homage. 

When  the  throng  could  find  their  senses,  Jesus  was  nowhere  to 
be  seen. 

The  Story  of  Jesun  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  180. 

The  Dead  Youth  Returns  Alive 

As  the  funeral  train  passed  the  lattice,  it  seemed  endless,  so 
vast  a  number  of  people  accompanied  the  body,  to  do  honor  to 
a  widow  in  Israel.  At  length  it  passed  by,  and  I  was  left 
alone.     .     .     . 

Suddenly  I  heard  a  very  great  shout.  I  started,  and  hastened 
to  the  lattice.  It  was  repeated  louder,  and  with  a  glad  tone,  that 
showed  me  that  it  was  a  shout  of  joy.  It  seemed  to  come  from 
beyond  the  city  walls,  and  from  a  hundred  voices  raised  in 
unison. 

I  knew  that  the  house-top  overlooked  the  walls,  and  .  .  . 
I  ascended  rapidly  to  the  parapet,  the  shouts  and  glad  cries  still 
increasing  as  I  went  up,  and  exciting  my  wonder  and  curiosity. 
Upon  reaching  the  flat  roof,  and  stepping  upon  the  parapet,  I 


A  LEPER,  A  SLAVE  AND  A  WIDOW'S  SON    223 

saw  [that]  something  wonderful  must  have  occurred,  but  could 
not  divine  what  it  could  be.  On  looking  towards  the  gate,  from 
which  direction  the  shouts  at  intervals  continued  to  approach,  I 
discovered  on  the  hill. side  of  the  cemetery  many  people  crowded 
together,  and  evidently  surrounding  some  person  in  their  midst ; 
for  the  whole  order  of  the  procession  was  broken  up.  The  bier  I 
could  not  discern,  nor  could  I  comprehend  how  the  solemnity  of 
the  march  of  the  funeral  train  was  suddenly  changed  to  a  con- 
fused multitude,  rending  the  sky  with  loud  acclamations.  The 
whole  body  of  people  was  pressing  back  towards  the  city.  The 
persons  whom  I  had  first  seen  running  along  the  street,  now  made 
themselves  audible  as  they  drew  uigher, 

"  He  is  alive  !  he  is  alive  !  "  shouted  [one]. 

"He  has  been  raised  from  the  dead  !  "  cried  the  young  man 
next  behind  him. 

"He  lives,  and  is  walking  back  to  the  city  !  "  called  the  third, 
to  those  who,  like  me,  had  run  to  their  house-tops  to  know  the 
meaning  of  the  uproar  we  heard. 

"Who — who  is  alive ^"  I  eagerly  demanded  as  [a  young  man] 
passed  beneath  the  parapet.     "  What  is  this  shouting  ?  " 

He  looked  up  to  me  with  a  face  expressive  of  the  keenest  de- 
light, mixed  with  awe,  and  said  : 

"He  is  come  to  life!  He  is  no  longer  dead.  You  will  soon 
see  him,  for  they  are  escorting  him  back  to  the  city,  and  every- 
body is  mad  with  joy."     .     .     . 

" How  was  it?    Let  me  know  all,"  I  cried. 

" How?  Who  could  have  done  such  a  miracle  but  the  mighty 
Prophet  we  saw  at  Jerusalem?  "  he  answered. 

"  Jesus  ?  "  I  exclaimed  with  joy. 

"Who  else  could  it  be  ?  Yes  ;  he  met  the  bier  just  outside  the 
— but  here  they  come  !  " 

He  was  interrupted  in  his  narrative  by  the  increased  noise  in 
the  streets,  and  the  tramp  of  hundreds  of  feet.  The  next  moment 
the  room  was  filled  with  a  crowd  of  the  most .  excited  persons, 
some  weeping,  some  laughing,  as  if  beside  themselves.  In  their 
midst  I  beheld  him  walking,  alive  and  well  !  his  mother  clinging 
to  him,  like  a  vine  about  an  oak.  ...  I  gazed  upon  him 
with  awe,  as  if  I  had  seen  a  spirit. 

TTie  Prince  of  the  House  of  David,  Rev.  J.  H.  Ingraham,  pp.  245-248. 


224      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Her  Joy  Out-Thanks  All  Words 
A  train  of  mourners  slowly  out  of  Nain 
Winds  to  the  place  of  burial.     All  save  one 
Mourn  out  of  sympathy  ;  while  she,  alone, 
Walks  silent,  knowing  that  her  life  is  crushed. 
And  home  is  but  a  name  ;  for  he,  who  lived 
Her  strength  and  staff  in  widowhood,  is  gone. 
The  bearers  pause.     She  hears  that  One,  unknown, 
Touches  the  bier.     She  hears  him  say,  "  Arise," 
And  knows  that  word  restores  son,  light,  and  home, 
Joy  crowds  out  thanks.     With  wild  and  long  embrace, 
The  son  and  mother  meet.     Then  through  her  tears 
She  sees  the  stranger  smile,  and  knows  her  joy 
Out-thanks  all  words,  and  he  is  satisfied, 
And  smiling  turns  upon  his  homeless  way. 

Echoes  and  Pictures  from  the  Life  of  Christ,  Richard  H.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  p.  32. 


XYII 

PHAEISEE  AND  SADDUCEE 

Accordiug  to  the  strictest  sect  of  our  religion,  I  lived  a  Pharisee. 

— Paul  before  Agrippa. 

The  Slighted  G«est  and  the  Woman 

One  of  tlie  Pharisees  invited  Him  to  eat  with  him.  And 
having  entered  the  Pharisee's  house,  He  reclined  at  table. 

And  there,  a  woman  of  the  town,  a  sinner,  knowing  that  He 
was  lying  at  table  in  the  house  of  the  Pharisee,  brought  an 
alabaster  flask  of  ointment,  and  standing  behind  at  His  feet, 
weeping,  she  began  to  bedew  His  feet  with  tears,  and  was  wiping 
them  with  the  hair  of  her  head,  and,  ardently  kissing  His  feet, 
she  was  anointing  them  with  the  ointment. 

But  the  Pharisee  who  had  invited  Him,  having  seen  this,  spoke 
within  himself  saying,  "This  person,  if  He  were  a  prophet, 
would  have  known  who  and  what  the  woman  is  that  is  touching 
Him,  for  she  is  a  sinner  !  " 

And  Jesus  answering  said  to  him,  "Simon,  I  have  something 
to  say  to  thee." 

And  he  says,  "Teacher,  say  it." 

"A  certain  creditor  had  two  debtors:  the  one  owed  him  five 
hundred  shillings,  and  the  other,  fifty.  When  they  had  nothing 
with  which  to  pay,  he  forgave  them  both.  Which  of  them,  say, 
will  love  him  morel " 

And  Simon  answering  said,  "  I  take  it  that  he  to  whom  he  for- 
gave the  more." 

And  He  said  to  him,  "Eightly  thou  hast  judged." 

And  turning  to  the  woman,  He  said  to  Simon  : 

"  Dost  thou  see  this  woman  ?  I  entered  thy  house,  thou  gavest 
no  water  for  ray  feet ;  but  she  with  tears  wet  my  feet,  and  wiped 
them  with  the  hair  of  her  head. 

"  A  kiss  thou  gavest  not  to  me,  but  she,  from  the  time  I  came 
in,  has  not  ceased  affectionately  kissing  my  feet. 

225 


226      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

"  With  oil  my  head  thou  didst  uot  auoiut ;  but  she  with  oint- 
ment anointed  my  feet, 

"Because  of  this  I  say  to  thee,  Her  many  sins  have  been  for- 
given, for  she  loves  much,  but  he  to  whom  little  is  forgiven  loves 
but  little." 

And  He  said  to  her,  "  Thy  sins  have  been  forgiven." 

And  those  reclining  at  table  with  Him  began  to  say  within 
themselves,  "  Who  is  this  that  even  forgives  sins  ?  " 

But  He  said  to  the  woman,  "Thy  faith  has  saved  thee  ;  go  in 
peace." 

Luke  vii.  36-50.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

Cowld  the  Rabbi  Say  That  ? 

The  woman  was  still  weeping.  She  could  uot  altogether  follow 
the  conversation  which  now  took  jslace  at  the  table,  partly  be- 
cause she  was  crying  so,  partly  because  it  was  so  foreign  to  her 
habit  of  mind  that  it  was  uot  easy  for  her  to  understand  it.  But 
she  soon  perceived  that  it  concerned  herself,  and  began  to  con- 
centrate her  attention  upon  it.  Was  the  Eabbi  saying  a  kind 
thing  of  her — her  f    Incredible  ! 

"Thou,  Simon,  didst  not  kiss  me,  nor  anoint,  nor  give  me  any 
water  for  my  feet.  But  sJie  has  washed  my  feet  with  her  tears, 
.  .  .  wiped  them  with  her  hair,  .  .  .  anointed  them, 
.     .     .     she  has  not  yet  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet." 

The  words  were  said  in  a  low  tone,  but  the  humiliated  woman 
heard  them  with  broken  distinctness.  For  very  joy  and  awe  she 
stopped  weeping  ;  suddenly,  like  a  comforted  child.  Impossible  ! 
Did  she  hear  correctly  ?    Was  she  deaf,  or  dazed  ? 

"She  has  loved  much.     .     .     .     Much  is  forgiven  her." 

Did  the  Eabbi,  could  the  Eabbi  say  that  ? 

She  raised  her  tear-strained  face,  pushed  her  hair  back  from  it, 
and  courageously  lifted  her  head. 

O  wonderful  !     He  had  turned  to  her  at  last. 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p   196. 

What  Social  Outcasts  Saw  in  Him 
The  social  outcasts,  "the  lost,"  saw  in  this  Carpenter  one  of 
themselves.     On  one  occasion  a  member  of  the  Pharisee  party, 
Simon,  probably  out  of  curiosity  to  see  this  man  who  was  making 


PHARISEE  AND  SADDUCEE  227 

such  a  sLir,  invited  Jesus  to  diuuor.  But  in  his  welcome  he  with- 
held from  his  guest  the  customary  courtesies — ablution  of  the  feet 
and  anointing  of  the  head. 

Simon  probably  supposed  that  this  Workiugman,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  lower  class,  had  not  been  accustomed  to  treatment  as 
an  equal  by  those  in  the  upper  circles,  and  that  he  would  not 
notice  the  matter.  Jesus  and  all  twelve  of  his  disciples  were 
wage-earners  who  had  received  only  a  common  school  education. 

During  the  meal  a  woman  of  the  street  enters  with  her  hair 
down.  Among  the  Jews,  for  a  woman  to  wear  her  hair  loose 
signified  that  she  was  a  harlot.  She  notices  the  affront  to  which 
Jesus  has  been  subjected.  She  knows  too  that  he  is  a  member  of 
the  lower  class,  along  with  herself. 

Remembering  the  indignities  to  which  she  has  been  for  so  long 
subjected  by  reason  of  caste,  her  heart  spills  in  a  burst  of  fellow 
feeling.  She  attempts  herself  to  perform  the  courtesy  that  has 
been  denied  him.  With  her  hot  tears  she  washes  the  dust  of 
travel  from  his  feet,  and  wipes  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head. 

The  Pharisee  catches  hold  of  the  incident  as  an  argument  against 
a  man  who  would  set  himself  up  as  a  leader — taunts  him  with 
associating  with  these  immoral  ones.  Jesus  makes  no  attempt  to 
dodge.  Without  a  wince  of  embarrassment  he  ranges  himself 
on  the  side  of  the  woman  and  against  the  caste  pride  of  the 
Pharisee. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  124. 

"Separatists"  and  '^Neighbottrs** 
The  Pharisees  must  have  their  name  from  a  separation,  which 
the  bulk  of  the  nation  did  not  undergo  with  them ;  in  other  words, 
from  a  separation  made  by  them,  in  consequence  of  their  stricter 
views  of  the  notion  of  uncleanness,  not  only  from  the  uucleanness 
of  the  heathen,  but  also  from  that  which,  according  to  their  view, 
a  great  portion  of  the  people  were  affected.  It  was  in  this  sense 
that  they  were  called  the  separated  or  the  separating,  and  they 
might  have  been  called  so  from  either  praise  or  blame. 

They  might  so  have  called  themselves,  because  they  kept  as  fiir 
as  possible  from  all  uncleanness,  and  therefore  also  from  contact 
with  unclean  persons.  Or  they  might  have  been  so  named  in  a 
reproachful  sense  by  their  adversaries,  as  ''the  separatists,"  who 


228       THE  STOKY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

for  the  sake  of  their  own  special  cleanness  separated  themselves 
from  the  bulk  of  the  nation.  The  latter  was  certainly  the  original 
meaning  of  the  name.  For  it  is  not  probable  that  they  gave  it  to 
themselves.     ... 

.  .  .  The  Pharisees'on  their  part  accepted  the  party  name 
when  once  naturalized.  And  they  might  well  do  so,  for  from  their 
standpoint  the  "separation"  from  which  they  obtained  the  name 
was  one  thoroughly  praiseworthy  and  well-i)leasing  to  God. 

If  the  name  shows  that  the  Pharisees  aj^peared  as  "separatists" 

in  the  eyes  of  their  adversaries,  another  name  shows  us  their  own 

view  of  their  character  and  community.     They  called  themselves 

merely    .     .     "neighbours,"  this   term   being,  in  the  language 

of  the  Mishna  and  of  the  ancient  rabbinical  literature  in  general, 

exactly  identical  with  that  of  Perushim  [Pharisees]. 

A  History  of  the  Jewish  People  in  the  Time  of  Jesus  Christ,  Emil  Schiirer,  D.  D., 
M.  A.,  Vol.  II,  Second  Division.     Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  pp.  20-22. 

They  Gave  Stones  for  Bread 

To  the  Pharisaic  party  belonged  most  of  the  scribes.  They 
were  so  called  because  they  were  both  the  interpreters  and  copy- 
ists of  the  Scriptures  and  the  lawyers  of  the  people ;  for,  the 
Jewish  legal  code  being  incorporated  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
jurisprudence  became  a  branch  of  theology.  They  were  the  chief 
interpreters  in  the  synagogues,  although  any  male  worshiper  was 
permitted  to  speak  if  he  chose.  They  professed  unbounded 
reverence  for  the  Scriptures,  counting  every  word  and  letter  in 
^them.  They  had  a  splendid  opportunity  of  diffusing  the  religious 
principles  of  the  Old  Testament  among  the  people,  exhibiting  the 
glorious  examples  of  its  heroes  and  sowing  abroad  the  words  of 
tlie  prophets ;  for  the  synagogue  was  one  of  the  most  potent 
engines  of  instruction  ever  devised  by  any  people.  But  they 
entirely  missed  their  opportunity. 

They  became  a  dry  ecclesiastical  and  scholastic  class,  using 
their  position  for  selfish  aggrandizement,  and  scorning  those  to 
whom  they  gave  stones  for  bread  as  a  vulgar  and  unlettered  herd. 
Whatever  was  most  spiritual,  living,  human,  and  grand  in  the 
Scriptures  they  passed  by. 

Generation  after  generation  the  commentaries  of  their  famous 
men  multiplied,  and  the  pupils  studied  the  commentaries  instead 


PHARISEE  AND  SADDUCEE  229 

of  the  text.  Moreover,  it  was  a  rule  with  them  that  the  correct 
iDterpretatiou  of  a  passage  was  as  authoritative  as  the  text  itself ; 
aud,  the  iuterpretatious  of  the  famous  masters  being  as  a  matter  of 
course  believed  to  be  correct,  the  mass  of  opinions  which  were 
held  to  be  as  precious  as  the  Bible  itself  grew  to  enormous  pro- 
portions. These  were  '*  the  traditions  of  the  elders." 
The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  33. 

Not  Strong  in  Numbers  nor  in  Courage 
But  this  party  was  neither  strong  in  numbers  nor  in  courage. 
They  possessed  some  appreciation  of  the  truth,  but  dared  not 
suffer  for  it.  They  were  inclined  to  welcome  Jesus  as  a  new  and 
rare  teacher,  but  dared  not  avow  themselves  his  disciples.  .  .  . 
Their  feeble  conservatism  was  overborne  by  the  intolerant  zeal 
of  the  sect  whose  principles  they  were  far  from  justifying,  but 
with  whom,  for  ecclesiastical  and  political  reasons,  they  were  in- 
separably identified. 

The  Roman  Church  had  its  Erasmus  and  its  F^nelon  ;  the 
Pharisaic  party  its  Mcodemus  aud  its  Joseph  of  Arimathea  ;  but 
neither  can  be  accepted  as  tyj)es  of  the  party  to  which  they  sever- 
ally belonged. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  190. 

**In  Hand- Washing  Is  the  Secret  of  the  Ten  Commandments** 
The  legal  washing  of  the  hands  before  eating  was  especially 
sacred  to  the  rabbinist ;  not  to  do  so  was  a  crime  as  great  as  to  eat 
the  flesh  of  swine.  "  He  who  neglects  hand- washing,"  says  the 
book  Sohar,  "deserves  to  be  punished  here  and  hereafter."  "He 
is  to  be  destroyed  out  of  the  world,  for  in  hand- washing  is  con- 
tained the  secret  of  the  ten  commandments."  "He  is  guilty  of 
death. "  "  Three  sins  bring  poverty  after  them, "  says  the  Mishna, 
"  and  to  slight  hand- washing  is  one."  "  He  who  eats  bread  with- 
out hand- washing, "  says  Rabbi  Jose,  "is  as  if  he  went  in  to  a 
harlot." 

The  later  Schulchan  Aruch,  enumerates  twenty-six  rules  for 
this  rite  in  the  morning  alone.  "  It  is  better  to  go  four  miles  to 
water  than  to  incur  guilt  by  neglecting  hand-washing,"  says  the 
Talmud.  "He  who  does  not  wash  his  hands  after  eating, "  it  says, 
"is  as  bad  as  a  murderer."    The  devil  Schibta  sits  on  unwashed 


230      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

hands  and  on  the  bread.  It  was  a  special  mark  of  the  Pharisees 
that  "they  ate  their  daily  bread  with  due  purification,"  and  to 
neglect  doing  so  was  to  be  despised  as  unclean. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Ciiuuiugliam  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  191. 

Real  Defilement 

And  the  Pharisees,  and  certain  of  the  scribes,  who  had  come 
from  Jerusalem,  gathered  around  hiin,  had  seen  that  some  of  his 
disciples  ate  their  bread  with  defiled,  that  is,  unwashed  hands. 
(For  the  Pharisees,  and  all  the  Jews,  do  not  eat  unless  they 
wash  their  hands  with  the  clenched  fist,  following  the  tradition  of 
the  elders  ;  and  when  they  come  from  the  market  they  do  not  eat 
unless  they  bathe  themselves  ;  and  there  are  many  other  things 
which  they  have  learned  to  regard,  washing  of  cups,  and  vessels 
and  brazen  utensils  and  couches.) 

Then  the  Pharisees  and  the  scribes  question  him,  "Why  do 
not  thy  disciples  walk  according  to  the  tradition  of  the  elders, 
but  eat  bread  with  defiled  hands  1 " 

And  he  answered  them,  "Isaiah  prophesied  well  concerning 
you  hypocrites,  as  it  has  been  written, 

"  '  These  people  honour  me  with  their  lips, 
But  their  heart  is  far  away  from  me. 
But  in  vain  do  they  worship  me, 
Teaching  as  doctrines  the  injunctions  of  men.' 

"For,  leaving  the  commandment  of  God,  you  keep  the  tradi- 
tion of  men,  washings  of  vessels  and  cups,  and  many  other  such 
things  you  do. 

And  he  said  to  them,  "  Well  do  you  set  aside  the  commandment 
of  God,  that  you  may  observe  your  tradition.  For  Moses  said, 
'  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  raotlier '  ;  and  '  He  that  speaks  evil  of 
father  or  mother,  let  him  die  the  death  '  :  but  you  say,  'If  a  man 
say  to  father  or  mother,  "Corban  !  "  (that  is  a  gift),  whatever 
thou  mightest  be  profited  from  me '  you  no  longer  require  him 
to  do  anything  for  his  father  or,  his  mother ;  making  void  the 
word  of  God  by  your  tradition,  which  you  have  delivered ;  and 
many  similar  things  you  do." 

And  having  called  to  all  the  crowd,  he  said  to  them,  "  Hear  me 


pharisp:e  and  sadducee  231 

all  of  you  and  understand  !  There  is  nothing  from  outside  the 
man,  that  going  into  him  can  pollute  him  ;  but  the  things  which 
come  out  from  him  are  the  ones  that  defile  the  man." 

And  when  he  went  into  a  house  from  the  crowd,  his  disciples 
asked  him  concerning  the  parable. 

And  he  says  to  them,  ''Are  you  thus  without  understanding 
also?  Do  you  not  perceive  that  everything  which  enters  into 
the  man  from  without  is  unable  to  defile  him ;  because  it  enters 
not  into  the  heart  of  him,  but  into  the  belly,  and  goes  out  into  the 
draught,  purifying  all  the  food?  " 

And  he  said,  "Whatever  goes  forth  out  of  the  man,  that  de- 
files the  man.  For  from  within,  out  of  the  heart  of  men,  evil 
thoughts,  adulteries,  fornications,  murders,  thefts,  covetous  de- 
sires, wickednesses,  deceit,  licentiousness,  a  wicked  eye,  blas- 
phemy, haughtiness,  foolishness :  all  these  evils  proceed  from 
within,  and  defile  the  man." 

3Iark  vii.  1-23.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

**  Hypocrites  ! — Acting  Religion  !  ** 
Eepresentatives  of  this  smooth  hypocrisy  had  now  gathered 
round  Jesus,  and  proceeded  to  inquire  into  His  alleged  unlawful 
acts.  "How  comes  it,"  asked  they,  "that  a  Teacher  who  claims 
a  higher  sanctity  than  others  can  quietly  permit  His  disciples  to 
neglect  a  custom  imposed  by  our  wise  forefathers,  and  so  care- 
fully observed  by  every  pious  Israelite  f  How  is  it  that  they  do 
not  wash  their  hands  before  eating?'' 

"  They  neglect  only  a  ceremony  introduced  by  men,"  retorted 
Jesus  ;  "but  how  comes  it  that  you,  who  know  the  Law,  trangress 
commands  which  are  not  of  man,  but  from  God  Himself?  How 
comes  it  that,  for  the  sake  of  traditions  invented  by  the  rabbis, 
you  set  aside  the  most  explicit  commands  of  God  ?  He  has,  for 
example,  said  that  we  must  honour  our  father  and  mother,  and 
support  and  care  for  them  in  old  age.  He  has  declared  it  worthy 
of  death  for  any  one  to  deny  his  parents  due  reverence,  or  to  treat 
them  harshly  or  with  neglect. 

"But  you  have  invented  a  doctrine  which  absolves  children, 
in  many  cases,  from  this  commandment.  'If  any  one,'  says  your 
'tradition,'  '  is  asked  by  his  parents  for  a  gift,  or  help,  for  their 
benefit,  he  has  only  to  say  that  he  has  vowed  that  very  part  of 


232      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

his  means  to  the  Temple,  and  they  cannot  press  him  further  to 
contribute  to  their  support.'  How  cunningly  have  you  thus 
circumvented  God's  law  !  How  easy  is  it  for  any  one  to  break 
it,  and  affect  a  zeal  for  religion  in  doing  so  ! 

'■'■  Ye  hypocrites  ! — acting  religion  " — now  for  the  first  time  thus 
denouncing  them  and  their  party — "well  has  Isaiah  painted  you 
when  he  introduces  God  as  saying,  '  This  nation  has  its  worship 
in  words,  and  its  religion  is  of  the  lips,  while  its  heart  is  far  from 
me.  Their  service  of  me  is  worthless,  for  it  is  not  my  law,  but 
only  human  invention.' 

"  These  words  describe  you  to  the  letter.  You  put  aside  what 
God  has  commanded,  and  has  enforced  by  promises  and  threats, 
and  yet  keep,  superstitiously,  'traditions'  which  only  custom, 
and  homage  to  human  teachers,  have  introduced.  Of  this  kind 
are  your  hand- washings,  and  many  similar  usages." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol,  II,  p.  197. 

Christ's  True  Attitude 

Let  us  now  realise  the  attitude  of  Christ  in  regard  to  these 
ordinances  about  purification,  and  seek  to  understand  the  reason 
of  His  bearing.  That,  in  replying  to  the  charge  of  the  scribes 
against  His  disciples,  He  neither  vindicated  their  conduct,  nor 
apologised  for  their  breach  of  the  rabbinic  ordinances,  implied  at 
least  an  attitude  of  indifference  towards  traditionalism.  This  is 
the  more  noticeable,  since,  as  we  know,  the  ordinances  of  the 
scribes  were  declared  more  precious,  and  of  more  binding  im- 
portance than  those  of  Holy  Scripture  itself. 

But,  even  so,  the  question  might  arise,  why  Christ  should  have 

provoked  such  hostility  by  placing  Himself  in  marked  antagonism 

to  what,  after  all,  was  indifferent  in  itself.     The  answer  to  this 

inquiry  will  require  a  disclosure  of  that  aspect  of  rabbinism 

which,  from  its  painfulness,  has  hitherto  been  avoided.     Yet  it  is 

necessary  not  only  in  itself,  but  as  showing  the  infinite  distance 

between  Christ  and  the  teaching  of  the  synagogue. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  15. 

**  A  House  Divided  against  Itself  !  ** 
And  the  scribes  which  came  down  from  Jerusalem  said.  He 
hath  Beelzebub,  and  by  the  prince  of  devils  casteth  he  out  devils. 


PHARISEE  AND  SADDUCEE  233 

And  he  called  them  unto  him  and  said  unto  them  in  parables, 
How  can  Satan  cast  out  Satan  ? 

And  if  a  kingdom  be  divided  against  itself,  that  kingdom  can- 
not stand.  And  if  a  house  be  divided  against  itself,  that  house 
cannot  stand. 

And  if  Satan  rise  up  against  himself,  and  be  divided,  he  cannot 
stand,  but  hath  an  end. 

No  man  can  enter  into  a  strong  man's  house,  and  spoil  his 
goods,  except  he  will  first  bind  the  strong  man  ;  and  then  he  will 
spoil  his  house. 

3Iark  iii.  22-27.     Authorised  Version. 

**By  Whom  Do  Yoxxt  Disciples  Cast  Them  ottt  ?** 

"If  I,"  said  He,  "  cast  out  devils  by  the  power  of  Beelzebub, 
by  whom  do  your  disciples  cast  them  out?  You  do  not  attribute 
their  works  to  the  prince  of  devils,  why  do  you  do  so  with  mine? 
But  if  I  do  these  thiugs  by  the  power  of  God,  I  prove  myself  to 
be  sent  from  Him,  and  to  be  His  Messiah,  and  where  the  Messiah 
is,  there  also  is  His  kingdom.  Do  you  still  hesitate  to  draw  this 
conclusion  ? 

"Ask  yourselves,  then,  how  I  can  invade  the  kingdom  of 
Satan,  and  take  from  him  his  servants,  instruments,  and  victims, 
the  sick,  and  the  possessed,  without  having  first  overcome  him- 
self? The  strong  man's  palace  can  only  be  spoiled  when  he, 
himself,  is  first  bound. 

"It  is  no  light  matter  to  put  yourselves  in  the  position  you 
take  towards  me.  He  who  is  not  with  me,  is,  as  may  be  seen  in 
your  case,  my  enemy.  No  neutrality  between  the  Messiah  and 
the  devil  is  possible.  If  you  do  not  help,  with  me,  to  gather  in 
the  harvest,  you  scatter  it,  and  hinder  its  being  gathered  !  " 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  134. 

**We  Would  See  a  Sign  from  Thee" 

Then  certain  of  the  scribes  and  of  the  Pharisees  answered,  say- 
ing, Master,  we  would  see  a  sign  from  thee. 

And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them.  An  evil  and  adulterous 
generation  seeketh  after  a  sign  ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given 
to  it,  but  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas  [Jonah]  :  For  as  Jonas 


234      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

was  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale's  belly ;  so  shall 
the  Son  of  man  be  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the 
earth. 

The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  rise  in  judgment  with  this  genera- 
tion, and  shall  condemn  it :  because  they  repented  at  the  preach- 
ing of  Jonas  ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonas  is  here. 

The  queen  of  the  south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with  this 
generation,  and  shall  condemn  it :  for  she  came  from  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  and,  be- 
hold, a  greater  than  Solomon  is  here. 
Matthew  xii.  38-42.     Authorised  Version. 

**  Woes  **  against  Them  "While  at  Breakfast  with  Them 

Now  while  he  was  speaking  a  Pharisee  asked  him  to  breakfast 
with  him  :  and  he  went  in,  and  sat  down  to  meat.  And  when 
the  Pharisee  saw  it,  he  marveled  that  he  had  not  first  bathed 
himself  before  breakfast. 

And  the  Lord  said  to  him,  "  Now  you  Pharisees  cleanse  the 
outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter  ;  but  your  inward  part  is 
full  of  extortion  and  wickedness. 

"You  foolish  ones,  did  not  he  that  made  the  outside  make  the 
inside  also?  However,  give  for  alms  those  things  which  are 
within  ;  and  behold,  all  things  are  clean  to  you. 

"But  woe  to  you  Pharisees  !  for  you  tithe  mint  and  rue  and 
every  herb,  and  jiass  over  justice  and  the  love  of  God  !  But 
these  ought  you  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  undone. 

"  Woe  to  you  Pharisees  !  for  you  love  the  chief  seats  in  the 
synagogues,  and  the  salutations  in  the  market-places. 

"  Woe  to  you  !  For  you  are  as  the  tombs  which  ajipear  not, 
and  the  men  that  walk  over  them  know  it  not." 

And  one  of  the  lawyers  answering  said  to  him,  "  Teacher,  in 
saying  this  thou  reproachest  us  also," 

And  he  said,  "  Woe  to  you  lawyers,  also  !  for  you  load  men 
with  burdens  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  you  yourselves  touch  not 
the  burdens  with  one  of  your  fingers. 

"Woe  to  you!  for  you  build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  and 
your  fathers  killed  them.  So  you  are  witnesses  and  consent  to 
the  works  of  your  fathers :  for  they  killed  them,  and  you  build 
their  tombs. 


PHARISEE  AND  SADDUCEE  235 

"Therefore  also  said  the  wisdom  of  God,  'I  will  send  to  them 
prophets  and  apostles  ;  and  some  of  them  they  shall  kill  and 
persecute  ;  '  that  the  blood  of  all  the  jjrophets  which  was  shed 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  may  be  required  of  this 
generation  ;  from  the  blood  of  Abel  to  the  blood  of  Zachariah, 
who  perished  between  the  altar  and  the  house  :  yea,  I  say  to  you, 
it  shall  be  required  of  this  generation. 

"  Woe  to  you  lawyers  :  for  you  took  away  the  key  of  knowl- 
edge :  you  entered  not  in  yourselves,  and  those  that  were  enter- 
ing in  you  hindered." 

And  when  he  was  come  out  from  thence,  the  scribes  and  the 
Pharisees  began  to  set  themselves  vehemently  against  him,  and 
to  provoke  him  to  speak  of  more  things  ;  laying  wait  for  him,  to 
catch  something  out  of  his  mouth. 

Luhe  xi.  37-54.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

**  Theit  Tombs  Are  a  Witness  against  You  ** 
A  rabbi  among  the  guests  here  interrupted  Him.     "Teacher," 
said  he,  "you  are  condemning  not  only  the  common  lay  Phari- 
sees, but  us,  the  rabbis." 

The  interruption  only  directed  Jesus  against  the  "lawyers" 
specially.  "Woe  to  you,  lawyers,  also!"  said  He,  "for  ye 
burden  men  with  burdens  grievous  to  be  borne,  while  ye,  your- 
selves, touch  not  these  burdens  with  one  of  your  fingers  to  help 
the  shoulders  to  bear  them.  Ye  sit  in  your  chambers  and  schools, 
and  create  legal  rules,  endless,  harassing,  intolerable  for  the 
peo]Dle,  but  not  affecting  yourselves,— shut  out  as  you  are  from 
busy  life. 

"  Woe  to  you  !  for  ye  build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  but 
your  fathers,  in  whose  acts  you  glory,  killed  them.  Shame  for 
their  having  done  so  might  make  you  wish  those  sacred  tombs 
forgotten  ;  but  you  have  no  shame,  and  rebuild  these  tombs  to 
win  favour  with  the  people,  while  in  your  hearts  you  are  read}^  to 
repeat  to  the  prophets  of  to-day  the  deeds  of  your  fathers  towards 
those  of  old  !  Your  pretended  reverence  for  these  martyrs,  shown 
in  restoring  their  sepulchres,  while  you  are  ready  to  repeat  the 
wickedness  of  their  murderers,  makes  these  tombs  a  witness 
against  you." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  141. 


236      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Party  of  Protest 

There  was  a  party  of  protest.  The  Saddueees  impugned  the 
authority  attached  to  the  traditions  of  the  fathers,  demanding  a 
return  to  the  Bible  and  nothing  but  the  Bible,  and  cried  out  for 
morality  in  place  of  ritual.  But  their  protest  was  prompted 
merely  by  the  spirit  of  denial,  and  not  by  a  warm  opposite  prin- 
ciple of  religion.  They  were  skeptical,  cold-hearted,  worldly 
men.  Though  they  praised  morality,  it  was  a  morality  un- 
warmed  and  uuilluminated  by  any  contact  with  that  upper 
region  of  divine  forces  from  which  the  inspiration  of  the  highest 
morality  must  always  come.  They  refused  to  burden  their  con- 
sciences with  the  painful  punctilios  of  the  Pharisees  ;  but  it  was 
because  they  wished  to  live  the  life  of  comfort  and  self-indulgence. 
They  ridiculed  the  Pharisaic  exclusiveness,  but  had  let  go  what 
was  most  peculiar  in  the  character,  the  faith  and  the  hopes  of  the 
nation.  They  mingled  freely  with  the  Gentiles,  affected  Greek 
culture,  enjoyed  foreign  amusements,  and  thought  it  useless  to 
fight  for  the  freedom  of  their  country.  An  extreme  section  of 
them  were  the  Herodians,  who  had  given  in  to  the  usurpation  of 
Herod,  and  with  courtly  flattery  attached  themselves  to  the  favour 
of  his  sons. 

The  Saddueees  belonged  chiefly  to  the  upper  and  wealthy 
classes.  The  Pharisees  and  scribes  formed  what  we  should  call 
the  middle  class,  although  also  deriviug  many  members  from  the 
higher  ranks  of  life.  The  lower  classes  and  the  country  people 
were  separated  by  a  great  gulf  from  their  wealthy  neighbours,  but 
attached  themselves  by  admiration  to  the  Pliarisees,  as  the  un- 
educated always  do  to  the  party  of  warmth.  Down  below  all 
these  was  a  large  class  of  those  who  had  lost  all  connection  with 
religion  and  well-ordered  social  life — the  publicans,  harlots,  and 
sinners,  for  whose  soul  no  man  cared. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A,,  p.  34. 

The  Aristocratic  Saddueees 

The  nature  of  the  Saddueees  is  not  as  evident  as  that  of  the 
Pharisees.  The  scanty  statements  furnished  by  documents  can 
only  with  difficulty  be  brought  uuder  a  single  point  of  sight. 
And  the  reason  of  this  seems  to  lie  in  the  natiu^e  of  the  case. 


PHARISEE  AND  SADDUCEE  237 

Tlie  Saddncees  are  no  siraj)le  and  constant  plienonienon  like  the 
Pharisees,  but  so  to  speak  a  compound  one,  which  must  be  appre- 
hended from  diifcrent  points. 

The  most  salient  characteristic  is  that  they  are  aristocrats. 
Josephus  repeatedly  designates  them  as  such.  "They  only  gain 
the  well-to-do,  they  have  not  the  people  on  their  side."  "This 
doctrine  has  reached  few  individuals,  but  these  are  of  the  first 
consideration."  When  Josephus  here  says,  that  this  doctrine 
has  reached  but  few,  this  is  quite  consistent  with  his  manner  of 
always  depicting  Pharisaism  and  Sadduceeism  as  j)hilosophical 
tendencies.  Taking  off  this  varnish,  his  actual  statement  is,  that 
the  Saddncees  were  the  aristocrats,  the  wealthy,  the  persons  of 
rank.  And  that  is  to  say,  that  they  chiefly  belonged  to  the  priest- 
hood. Far  from  the  commencement  of  the  Greek,  nay  from  the 
Persian  period,  it  was  the  priests  who  governed  the  Jewish  State, 
as  it  was  also  the  priesthood  in  general  that  constituted  the  no- 
bility of  the  Jewish  peoi)le. 

A  History  of  the  Jewish  People  m  the  Time  of  Jesus  Christ,  Emil  Schurer, 
D.  D.,  M.  A.,  Vol.  II,  Secoud  Division,     Pharisees  and  Saddncees,  p.  29. 


Conspiring  to  Destroy  Him 

But  the  Pharisees  went  out,  and  took  counsel  against  him,  how 
they  might  destroy  him. 

And  Jesus  perceiving  it  withdrew  from  there :  and  many 
followed  him ;  and  he  healed  them  all,  and  charged  them  that 
they  should  not  make  him  known  :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled 
which  was  spoken  through  Isaiah  the  prophet,  saying, 

"  Behold,  my  servaut  whom  I  have  chosen  ; 
My  beloved  in  whom  ray  soul  is  viell  pleased  : 
I  v?ill  put  my  Spirit  upon  him, 
And  he  shall  declare  judgment  to  the  Gentiles, 
V  He  shall  not  strive,  nor  cry  aloud  ; 

Neither  shall  any  one  hear  his  voice  in  the  streets, 
A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break, 
And  smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench, 
Till  he  send  forth  judgment  unto  victory. 
And  in  his  name  shall  the  Gentiles  hope." 

Matthew  xii.  14-21.     Kevised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


238      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SOX  OF  MAX 

The  Sadducce  Joined  v/ith  the  Hated  Pharisee 

.  .  AjDart  from  all  other  consideiatious,  the  fact  that  the 
Sadducees  supported  zealously  every  goverument  iu  turn,  was 
enough  to  set  people  against  them.  Instead  of  this,  the  Pharisees 
shared  and  fostered  the  patriotic  and  religious  abhorrence  of  the 
Eoman  supremacy,  and  were  sworn  enemies  of  the  hated  Herodian 
family.  The  result  was  that,  iu  the  words  of  Josephus,  "the 
Pharisees  had  such  an  influence  with  the  people,  that  nothing 
could  be  done  about  divine  worship,  prayers,  or  sacrifices,  except 
according  to  their  wishes  and  rules,  for  the  community  believed 
they  sought  only  the  loftiest  and  worthiest  aims  alike  in  word  and 
deed.  The  Sadducees  were  few  in  number  ;  and  though  they  be- 
longed to  the  highest  ranks,  had  so  little  influence,  that  when 
elected  to  office,  they  were  forced  to  comply  with  the  ritual  of  the 
Pharisees  from  fear  of  the  people." 

There  were,  doubtless,  many  priests  who  were  not  Sadducees — 
men  serving  God  humbly ;  devoted  to  their  sacred  duties,  and 
living  iu  full  thought  and  life  with  the  Pharisees.  In  the  disputes 
with  Jesus,  we  may  be  sure  that  many  such  Pharisaic  priests — 
the  great  company,  perhaps,  who,  within  a  short  time  after  His 
death,  became  "  obedient  to  the  faith  " — took  no  part  iu  the  fierce 
malignity  of  their  brethren.  But,  now,  for  the  first  time,  the 
Sadducees — haughty  clerical  aristocrats  of  the  Temple— joined 
with  the  hated  vulgar  Pharisees  of  the  synagogue  to  accomplish 
the  destruction  of  the  new  Teacher.  It  was  the  most  ominous 
sign  of  the  beginning  of  the  end  that  had  yet  appeared. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  214. 

Be  Fait  to  the  Pharisee 

It  is  unjust  to  describe  the  Pharisees  iu  terms  of  entire  con- 
tempt, because  some  of  the  best  as  well  as  the  worst  of  men,  were 
Pharisees.  Xicodemus  was  a  Pharisee ;  so  also  was  Saul  of 
Tarsus  ;  and  it  has  even  been  claimed  that  some  of  the  members 
of  Christ's  own  family  were  Pharisees. 

The  Pharisee,  if  he  could  have  separated  himself  from  the  be- 
littling influence  of  a  narrow  view  of  life,  would  have  deserved 
the  gratitude  of  the  world,  for  he  believed  with  intensity  in  the 
moral  government  of  God.     But  he  interpreted  that  government 


PHARISEE  AND  SADDUCEE  239 

entirely  in  his  own  favour.  He  regarded  the  mass  of  his  owu 
nation  much  as  a  proud  Brahmin  regards  persons  of  a  lower 
caste.  The  implicit  speech  ever  on  his  tongue  was,  ' '  Stand  thou 
aside,  I  am  holier  than  thou  !  "  He  was  above  all  things  a  zealot. 
He  stood  for  the  least  jot  and  tittle  of  the  law.  He  wasted  his 
life  in  acquiring  a  kind  of  learning  which  really  rendered  him 
absurd. 

JTie  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p,  184. 

Yet  I  May  Live  a  Pharisee ! 

Not  only  does  the  Pharisee 

In  forms  delight  that  men  may  see, — 

So  careful  of  the  outward  show, 

So  heedless  of  what  lies  below ! 
I  none  of  these  may  do  or  be, — 
Yet  I  may  live  a  Pharisee  ! 

Echoes  and  Pictures  from  the  Life  of  Christ,  Richard  H.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  p.  103. 


xvni 

PARABLES  BESIDE  THE  LAKE 

I  will  open  in  parables  my  month 

I  will  utter  things  hidden  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 

— Psalm  Ixxviii.  2. 
(Literally  rendered  from  the  Greek  of  Matthew  xiii.  35.) 

Preaching  from  the  Prow  of  a  Lightly  Rocking  Boat 
The  meal  in  the  house  of  the  Pharisee  was  a  momentous  event 
in  the  life  of  Jesus.  The  fierceness  of  His  enemies  had  broken  out. 
into  open  rage,  so  that,  as  He  left,  He  was  followed  by  the  in- 
furiated rabbis,  gesticulating,  as  they  pressed  round  Him,  and 
provoking  Him  to  commit  Himself  by  words  of  which  they  might 
lay  hold.  A  vast  crowd  had  meanwhile  gathered,  partly  on  His 
side,  partly  turned  against  Him  by  the  arts  of  His  accusers. 
The  excitement  had  reached  its  highest. 

With  such  a  multitude  before  Him,  it  was  certain  that  He 
would  not  let  the  oj)portunity  pass  of  proclaiming  afresh  the  new 
kingdom  of  God.  It  had  been  called  a  kingdom  of  the  devil, 
and  it  was  meet  that  He  should  turn  aside  the  calumny.  His 
past  mode  of  teaching  did  not,  however,  seem  suited  for  the  new 
circumstaaces.  It  had  left  but  small  permanent  results ;  and  a 
new  and  still  simpler  style  of  instruction,  specially  adapted  to 
their  dulness  and  untrained  minds  and  hearts,  would  at  least 
arrest  their  attention  more  surely,  and  force  them  to  a  measure  of 
reflection.  Pressing  through  the  vast  throng,  to  the  shore  of  the 
lake.  He  entered  a  fishing-boat,  and,  sitting  down  at  its  prow, 
the  highest  part  of  it,  began,  from  this  convenient  pulpit,  as  it 
lightly  rocked  on  the  waters,  the  first  of  those  wondrous  parables, 
in  which  He  henceforth  so  frequently  embodied  His  teachings. 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  144, 

A  New  Form  of  Discourse 
In  a  moment  of  happy  inspiration  Jesus  invented  an  entirely 
new  form  of  discourse,  possible  only  to  a  mind  essentially  poetic. 

240 


PARABLES  BESIDE  THE  LAKE  241 

He  begau  to  teach  the  people  iu  parables,  aud  the  method 
was  so  successful  that  it  is  said  that  heuceforth  He  taught 
them  iu  uo  other  way.  He  told  them  stories,  so  apt,  so  skil- 
fully coutrived,  so  suggestive,  that  ouce  heard  they  were  never 
forgotten. 

Those  who  have  seen  the  Oriental  story-teller  in  some  Eastern 
market-place  will  have  remarked  upon  the  extraordinary  spell 
which  he  appears  to  exercise.  He  begius  at  dawn,  he  ends  at 
eve,  aud  there  is  not  a  moment  of  the  long  day  when  there  is  not 
a  multitude  gathered  at  his  feet.  Time  and  occupation  are 
equally  forgotten  in  the  fascination  of  his  narrative ;  the  whole 
scene  is  a  living  comment  on  the  saying  of  Moses,  that  "we 
spend  our  days  as  a  tale  that  is  told. "  Ripples  of  laughter  run 
through  the  audience,  glances  of  admiration  are  exchanged,  and 
at  times  the  power  of  tragedy  hushes  the  crowd  into  breathless 
silence. 

So  Jesus  spoke  to  these  rapt  throngs  beside  the  Lake  of  Galilee. 
His  mind  expressed  itself  most  freely  and  more  perfectly  in  these 
imaginative  forms.  He  was  capable  of  translating  the  humblest 
incident  of  common  life  into  a  poem,  often  into  a  tragedy.  He 
used  at  will  every  weapon  of  the  story-teller — irony,  sarcasm, 
humour,  pathos,  an  extraordinary  grace  of  narrative,  and  an  un- 
equaled  power  of  dramatic  invention.  After  the  sterile  platitudes, 
aud  the  still  more  sterile  disputes  aud  casuistries  of  the  synagogue 
how  great  the  change  !  The  people  were  as  children  discovering 
for  the  first  time  the  wonder  of  life.  They  thrilled,  they  wept, 
they  wondered,  moved  this  way  and  that  at  the  will  of  the 
Speaker.  They  were  ready  even  to  follow  Him  by  thousands 
into  a  wilderness,  and  to  forego  food  for  the  sake  of  a  delight  so 
novel  and  so  exquisite. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  86. 

He  Taught  Them  Many  Things  in  Parables 
And  he  began  to  teach  again  by  the  lake.  And  a  great  crowd 
was  gathered  together  around  him,  so  that  when  he  had  stepped 
into  a  boat,  he  sat  on  the  lake ;  and  all  the  crowd  was  close  be- 
side the  lake  on  the  land.  And  he  taught  them  many  things  in 
parables,  and  said  to  them  in  his  teaching  : 
Mark  iv.  1,  2,     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 


242      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

**  The  Sower  "Went  out  to  Sow  ** 

"  Listen  :  See  !  the  sower  went  out  to  sow. 

"  Aud  it  happened,  as  he  sowed,  one  fell  by  the  way,  and  the 
birds  of  heaven  came  and  ate  it. 

"Aud  another  fell  upon  the  rocky  place,  where  it  had  not 
much  earth  ;  and  immediately  it  sprang  up,  because  of  not  hav- 
ing depth  of  earth  ;  aud  the  sun  having  risen,  it  was  scorched  ; 
aud  because  of  not  having  root,  it  withered  away. 

"And  another  fell  among  the  thorns,  and  the  thorns  grew  up, 
and  smothered  it,  aud  it  yielded  no  fruit. 

"Aud  another  fell  iuto  the  good  soil,  aud  yielded  fruit,  grow- 
ing up  and  increasing,  and  bore,  one  thirty,  and  one  sixty,  and 
one  a  hundred  fold." 

Mark  iv.  3-8.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

Explaining  the  Parable  to  the  Disciples 
Aud  the  disciples  came  and  said  to  him,    "Why  dost  thou 
speak  to  them  in  parables'?  " 

Aud  he  answering  said  to  them,  "  Because  it  has  been  given  to 
you  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  kiugdom  of  heaven,  but  it  has 
not  been  given  to  them.  For  whoever  has,  to  him  shall  be  given, 
and  he  shall  be  in  abundance :  but  whoever  has  not,  even  that  he 
has  shall  be  taken  away  from  him. 

"Therefore  I  speak  to  them  in  parables;  because  seeing  they 
see  not,  and  hearing  they  hear  not,  nor  do  they  understand.  And 
in  them  is  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  fulfilled,  which  says, 

"  '  In  hearing  yon  shall  hear,  and  in  no  way  understand  ; 
And  seeing  you  shall  see,  and  in  no  way  perceive ; 
For  the  heart  of  this  people  has  become  gross, 
Aud  they  have  heard  dully  with  the  ears, 
And  their  eyes  have  been  closed, 
For  fear  they  should  happen  to  see  with  the  eyes, 
And  with  the  ears  they  should  hear, 
And  with  the  heart  they  should  understand, 
And  should  be  converted, 
And  I  should  heal  them,' 

"But  blessed  are  your  eyes,  because  they  see;  and  your  ears, 
because  they  hear.  For  I  tell  you  truly  that  many  prophets  and 
righteous  men  desired  to  see  what  you  see,  and  did  not  see ;  and 
to  hear  what  you  hear,  and  did  not  hear. 


PARABLES  BESIDE  THE  LAKE  243 

"Hear  therefore  the  parable  of  the  sower.  When  one  hears 
the  word  of  the  kingdom,  and  does  not  understand,  the  wicked 
one  comes  and  snatches  away  what  was  sown  in  his  heart.  This 
is  he  who  was  sown  by  the  way. 

"  And  he  who  was  sown  upon  the  rocky  places,  this  is  he  who 
hears  tlie  word,  and  immediately  receives  it  with  joy  ;  but  has 
no  root  in  himself,  continues  for  a  while ;  but  when  tribulation 
or  persecution  has  arisen  on  account  of  the  word,  he  immediately 
stumbles. 

' '  And  he  who  was  sown  among  thorns,  this  is  he  who  hears  the 
word  ;  and  the  care  of  this  life,  and  the  deceit  of  riches,  smother 
the  word,  and  he  grows  unfruitful. 

"But  he  who  was  sown  in  the  good  soil  is  he  who  hears  the 
word  and  understands ;  who  truly  brings  forth  fruit,  and  pro- 
duces, one  a  hundred,  another  sixty,  another  thirty." 
Mattheiv  xiii.  10-23.     Rendered  literally  from  the  Greek. 

The  Wheat  and  the  Weeds 

Another  parable  set  he  before  them,  saying,  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  likened  unto  a  man  that  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field  : 
but  while  men  slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares  also  among 
the  wheat,  and  went  away. 

But  when  the  blade  sprang  up,  and  brought  forth  fruit,  then 
appeared  the  tares  also. 

And  the  servants  of  the  householder  came  and  said  unto  him, 
Sir,  didst  thou  not  sow  good  seed  in  the  field  I  whence  then  hath 
it  tares  % 

And  he  said  unto  them,  An  enemy  hath  done  this. 

And  the  servants  say  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  then  that  we  go  and 
gatlier  them  up  %  But  he  saith,  Nay ;  lest  haply  ye  gather  up 
the  tares,  ye  root  up  the  wheat  with  them.  Let  both  grow  to- 
gether until  the  harvest :  and  in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to 
the  reapers,  gather  up  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in  bundles 
to  burn  them  :  but  gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn. 
Mattheio  xiii.  24-30.     Revised  Version. 

Expounding  "  the  Wheat  and  the  Weeds  ** 
His  disciples  came  unto  him,  saying,  Explain  unto  us  the  par- 
able of  the  tares  of  the  field. 


244      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Aud  he  answered  and  said,  He  that  soweth  the  good  seed  is  the 
Sou  of  uiau  ;  aud  the  field  is  the  world  ;  aud  the  good  seed,  these 
are  the  sous  of  the  kiugdom ;  and  the  tares  are  the  sous  of  the  evil 
oue  ;  aud  the  euemy  that  sowed  them  is  the  devil :  aud  the  harvest 
is  the  end  of  the  world  ;  aud  the  reapers  are  angels. 

As  therefore  the  tares  are  gathered  up  aud  burned  with  fire  ; 
so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  the  world.  The  Sou  of  man  shall 
send  forth  his  angels,  aud  they  shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom 
all  things  that  cause  stumbling,  aud  them  that  do  iniquity,  and 
shall  cast  them  into  the  furnace  of  fire  :  there  shall  be  the  weeping 
and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kiugdom 
of  their  Father.     He  that  hath  ears,  let  him  hear. 
Matthew  xiii.  36-43.     Eevised  Version. 

**He  Knoweth  Not  How" 
And  he  said.  So  is  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  cast 
seed  upon  the  earth ;  and  should  sleep  and  rise  night  and  day, 
and  the  seed  should  spring  up  and  grow,  he  knoweth  not  how. 
The  earth  beareth  fruit  of  herself ;  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear, 
then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear. 

But  when  the  fruit  is  ripe,  straightway  he  putteth  forth  the 
sickle,  because  the  harvest  ie  come. 
3Iark  iv.  26-29.     Revised  Version. 

**  Like  a  Grain  of  Mustard  Seed  " 
And  he  said.  How  shall  we  liken  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  or  in 
wliat  parable  shall  we  set  it  forth  ?  It  is  like  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed,  which,  when  it  is  sown  upon  the  earth,  though  it  be  less  than 
all  the  seeds  that  are  upon  the  earth,  yet  when  it  is  sown,  groweth 
up,  and  becometh  greater  than  all  the  herbs,  and  putteth  out 
great  branches  ;  so  that  the  birds  of  the  heaven  can  lodge  under 
the  shadow  thereof. 

Mark  iv.  30-32.     Revised  Version. 

Like  Leaven 
Another  parable  spake  he  mito  them  :  The  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  like  unto  leaven,  which  a  woman  took,  and  hid  in  three  meas- 
ures of  meal,  till  it  was  all  leavened. 
Matthew  xiii.  33.     Revised  Version. 


PARABLES  BESIDE  THE  LAKE  245 

The  Lamp 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Is  the  lamp  brought  to  be  put  under 
the  bushel,  or  under  the  bed,  and  not  to  be  put  on  the  stand  ? 

For  there  is  nothing  hid,  save  that  it  should  be  manifested  ; 
neither  was  anything  made  secret,  but  that  it  should  come  to  light. 

If  any  man  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Take  heed  what  ye  hear ;  with  what 
measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be  measured  unto  you  ;  and  more  shall 
be  given  unto  you. 

For  he  that  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given  :  and  he  that  hath  not, 
from  him  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  which  he  hath. 

3Tark  iv.  21-25.     American  Revision. 

Take  heed  therefore  how  ye  hear  :  for  whosoever  hath,  to  him 
shall  be  given  ;  aud  whosoever  hath  not,  from  him  shall  be  taken 
away  even  that  which  he  thinketh  he  hath. 

Luke  viii.  18.     American  Revision. 

The  Hidden  Treasure 
The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  treasure  hidden  in  the 
field  ;  which  a  man  found,  and  hid  ;  and  in  his  joy  he  goeth  and 
selleth  all  that  he  hath,  and  buyeth  that  field. 
Matthew  xiii.  44.     Revised  Version. 

One  Pearl  of  Great  Price 
Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  a 
merchant  seeking  goodly  pearls :  and  having  found  one  pearl  of 
great  price,  he  went  and  sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it. 
Matthew  xiii.  45,  46.     Revised  Version. 

The  Net  Filled  with  Good  and  Bad 
Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  net,  that  was  cast 
into  the  sea,  and  gathered  of  every  kind :  which,  when  it  was 
filled,  they  drew  up   on  the  beach  ;  and  they  sat  down,  and 
gathered  the  good  into  vessels,  but  the  bad  they  cast  away. 

So  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  the  world  :  the  angels  shall  come 
forth,  and  sever  the  wicked  from  among  the  righteous,  and  shall 
cast  them  into  the  furnace  of  fire  :  there  shall  be  the  weeping  and 
gnashing  of  teeth. 

Matthew  xiii.  47-50.     Revised  Version. 


246      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Things  New  and  Old 

Have  ye  uuderstood  all  these  things  1 

They  say  uuto  him,  Yea. 

Aud  he  said  unto  them,  Therefore  every  scribe  who  hath  been 
made  a  disciple  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that 
is  a  householder,  which  bringeth  forth  out  of  his  treasure  things 
new  and  old. 

Matthew  xiii.  51,  52.     Revised  Version. 

The  Most  Precious  Literary  Heritage  of  the  Human  Race 
Jesus  was  also  recognised  as  a  prophet,  and  accordingly,  His 
preaching  created  wide-spread  excitement.  "He  spake  in  their 
synagogues,  being  glorified  of  all."  His  words  were  heard  with 
wonder  and  amazement.  Sometimes  the  multitude  on  the  beach 
of  the  lake  so  pressed  upon  Him  to  hear,  that  He  had  to  enter 
into  a  ship  and  address  them  from  the  deck,  as  they  spread  them- 
selves out  in  a  semicircle  on  the  ascending  shore. 

His  enemies  themselves  bore  witness  that  "never  man  spake 
like  this  man  ;  "  aud  meagre  as  are  the  remains  of  His  preaching 
which  we  possess,  they  are  amply  sufficient  to  make  us  echo  the 
sentiment  and  understand  the  impression  which  He  produced. 
All  His  words  together  which  luive  been  preserved  to  us  would 
not  occupy  more  space  in  print  than  half-a-dozen  ordinary  ser- 
mons ;  yet  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  they  are  the  most 
precious  literary  heritage  of  the  human  race.  His  words,  like 
His  miracles,  were  expressions  of  Himself,  and  every  one  of  them 
has  in  it  something  of  the  grandeur  of  His  character. 
The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  67. 


XIX 

CALMING  A  STOEM,  AND  OTHER  WONDEES 

We  touch  Him  in  life's  throng  and  press, 
And  we  are  whole  again. 

—  Whitiier. 

Leaving  the  Crowd,  After  the  Parables 
And  it  came  to  pass,  wlieu  Jesus  had  fiuislied  these  parables, 
he  departed  thence. 

Matthew  xiii.  53.     Revised  Version. 

Now  wheu  Jesus  saw  great  multitudes  about  him,  he  gave  com- 
maudment  to  depart  uuto  the  other  side. 
Matthew  viii.  18.     Eevised  Version. 

The  Strain  Had  Been  Severe  That  Day 
The  people  had  over- wearied  him  that  day,  aud  pressed  upon 
hiui  till  he  could  bear  no  more.  With  one  of  the  peremptory 
decisions  which  he  knew  so  well  when  to  make,  he  determined  to 
escape  from  this  human  torrent,  from  which,  at  its  full,  an  angel's 
vitality  might  have  fled  ;  the  current  was  so  insistent,  so  thought- 
less, so  tainted.  Longing  for  that  which  only  the  wave  and  the 
shore  can  give  to  the  heart  that  loves  them,  he  turned  to  his  dear 
lake. 

It  was  towards  evening.  Beautiful  Gennesaret  .  .  .  was 
at  her  loveliest.  The  sun  was  sinking.  The  moon  was  rising. 
The  wind  was  light  aud  steady  upon  the  little  sea.  Clouds  hung 
upon  the  opposite  hills,  but  they  looked  innocent  enough. 
Jesus  took  to  his  boat  with  his  friends  and- gave  the  order  to 
cross  the  lake.  He  sat  for  a  few  moments  thoughtfully  watching 
tlie  disappointed  throng  which  he  had  left  ashore,  as  it  slowly 
dispersed  in  the  growing  shadow.     .     .     . 

He  was  very  tired,  so  tired  that  he  did  not  try  to  talk,  but 
went  aft  aud  lay  down,  thinking  to  rest  if  he  could.     His  most 

247 


248      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

thoughtful  disciple  had  put  a  pillow  there  for  him  upon  the 
stern  seat.  His  friends,  respecting  his  mood  as  they  always 
meant  to  do,  even  if  they  did  not  always  succeed  (for  the  Master 
had  strange  hours,  hard  for  fishermen  to  understand),  left  him 
undisturbed. 

The  management  of  the  boat  soon  occupied  their  attention,  for 
there  was  more  wind  than  one  would  have  thought.  Jesus  fell 
asleep  ;  he  was  so  completely  worn  out  that  nature  insisted,  and 
he  slept  long  and  deeply. 

TJie  Story  of  Jems  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  210. 

A  Sodden  Storm  on  the  Lake 

And  on  that  day,  when  even  was  come,  he  saith  unto  them, 
Let  us  go  over  unto  the  other  side.  And  leaving  the  multitude, 
they  take  him  with  them,  even  as  he  was,  in  the  boat.  And  other 
boats  were  with  him. 

And  there  ariseth  a  great  storm  of  wind,  and  the  waves  beat 
into  the  boat,  insomuch  that  the  boat  was  filling. 

And  he  himself  was  in  the  stern,  asleep  on  the  cushion  :  and 
they  awake  him,  and  say  unto  him,  Teacher,  carest  thou  not  that 
we  perish  ? 

And  he  awoke,  and  rebuked  the  wind,  and  said  unto  the  sea, 
Peace,  be  still.  And  the  wind  ceased,  and  there  was  a  great 
calm. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  fearful  ?  Have  ye  not  yet 
faith  ? 

And  they  feared  exceedingly,  and  said  one  to  another.  Who 
then  is  this,  that  even  the  wind  and  the  sea  obey  him  ? 
3Iark  iv.  35-41.     American  Revision. 

"Peace,  Be  Still!'* 

Fierce  raged  the  tempest  o'er  the  deep, 
Watch  did  Thine  anxions  servants  keep, 
But  Thou  wast  wrapt  in  guileless  sleep, 
Calm  and  still, 

"  Save,  Lord,  we  perish,"  was  their  cry, 
"  Oh,  save  us  in  our  agony  !  " 
Thy  word  above  the  storm  rose  high, 
"Peace,  be  still  !  " 


CALMING  A  S^i  :>RM,  AND  OTHER  WONDERS    249 

The  wild  .vinds  hushed,  the  angry  deep 
Sauk,  like  a  little  child,  to  sleep  ; 
The  suUeu  billows  ceased  to  leap. 
At  Thy  will. 

Fierce  Raged  the  Tempest  o''er  the  Deep,  Rev.  Godfrey  Thring.    Christ  in  Song, 
Philip  Schaff,  D.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p.  346. 


The  Maniac  among  the  Tombs  of  Gadara 

Arriving  at  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  they  landed  in  the 
district  of  the  Gadareues.  And  disembarking  from  the  boat,  a 
man  possessed  by  a  foul  spirit,  who  had  been  dwelling  among  the 
tombs,  at  once  ran  to  him  from  the  tombs.  And  no  one  could 
restrain  him,  not  even  by  binding;  for  they  had  often  bound  him 
with  chains  and  shackles,  and  he  had  torn  asunder  the  chains 
and  smashed  the  shackles  :  and  no  man  had  the  strength  to  tame 
him. 

Continually,  night  and  day,  he  was  among  the  tombs  and 
mountains,  shrieking,  and  bruising  himself  with  stones.  But 
seeing  Jesus  from  a  distance,  he  ran  and  knelt  to  Him ;  and 
calling  with  a  loud  voice,  he  said, 

"  What  is  there  between  me  and  You,  Jesus,  Sou  of  the  Highest 
God!  I  put  You  on  oath  before  that  God  that  You  will  not 
torment  me." 

Mark  v.  1-7.     The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  Ferrar  Fenton,  p.  71. 

Bleeding  with  Self-Inflicted  Wounds 

Insanity  is  a  dark  sea  on  whose  shore  we  have  not  even  yet 
ventured  far  ;  and  science  is  a  frail  boat  which  may  or  may  not 
hold  the  points  of  the  compass.  Whether  demoniac  possession 
was  the  delusion  of  a  blatant  superstition,  or  should  ever  become 
material  of  an  exact  science,  Jesus,  if  he  knew,  did  not  think  it 
necessary  to  explain.  He  delivered  no  homily  on  evil  spirits. 
.     .     .     He  simply  went  to  work  and  healed  the  case. 

It  was  a  bad  case ;  one  of  the  worst  of  the  incurable,  against 
which  the  rude  medical  art  of  the  times  was  hopelessly  helpless, 
and  about  which  the  humanity  of  the  times  did  not  feel  any  re- 
sponsibility. Few  pitied  and  most  forgot  the  .  .  wretches 
who  had  been  driven  from  home  and  from  all  human  society. 


250      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

It  needed  Jesus  to  inveDt  tenderness  to  the  insane.  It  swept 
through  his  heart  that  night  in  the  surging  movement  of  pity 
and  power. 

We  have  here  one  of  those  sombre  pictures  in  which  a  great 
moral  emotion  has  taken  the  brash  and  painted  in  the  onlj'^  high 
lights.  The  gloom  of  the  land  of  caves  filled  a  dismal  background. 
A  large  herd  of  two  thousand  swine,  disturbed  by  the  cries  of  the 
maniacs  and  disinclined  to  sleep,  were  stirring  uneasily  on  their 
pasture  at  the  top  of  the  steep  grade  which  ended  in  the  water. 
The  fishermen,  uncomfortable  and  puzzled,  were  gathered  closely 
about  their  Eabbi, — to  protect  or  to  be  protected,  they  hardly 
knew  which.  The  maniacs  were  gibbering  and  shrieking ;  he, 
the  worst  case,  bleeding  with  self-inflicted  wounds  where  he  had 
cut  himself  with  sharp  stones.  In  the  centre  of  the  group,  tall 
and  quiet,  Jesus  stood  thoughtfully. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  216. 

**  Legion  **  and  the  Herd  of  Hogs 

And  he  asked  him  :  "  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  My  name,"  he  said,  "  is  Legion,  for  there  are  many  of  us  ;  " 
and  he  begged  Jesus  again  and  again  not  to  send  them  away  out 
of  that  country.  There  was  a  large  drove  of  pigs  close  by,  feed- 
ing on  the  hill-side.     And  the  spirits  begged  Jesus : 

"Send  us  into  the  pigs,  that  we  may  take  possession  of 
them." 

Jesus  gave  them  leave.  They  came  out,  and  entered  into  the 
pigs  ;  and  the  drove — about  two  thousand  in  number — rushed 
down  the  steep  slope  into  the  sea  and  were  drowned  in  the  sea. 
On  this  the  men  who  tended  them  ran  away,  and  carried  the 
news  to  the  town,  and  to  the  country  round ;  and  the  people 
went  to  see  what  had  happened.  When  they  came  to  Jesus,  they 
found  the  possessed  man  sitting  there,  clothed  and  in  his  right 
mind— the  very  man  who  had  the  ''Legion"  in  him — and  they 
were  awe-struck. 

Then  those  who  had  seen  it  related  to  them  all  that  had 
happened  to  the  possessed  man,  as  well  as  about  the  pigs ; 
upon  which  they  began  to  beg  Jesus  to  leave  their  neighbour- 
hood. 

Mark  v.  9-17.     The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  p.  13. 


CALMING  A  STORM,  AND  OTHEK  WONDERS    251 

"Go  Home  and  Tell  What  God  Hath  Done  for  You*' 
As  Jesus  was  getting  into  the  boat,  the  possessed  man  begged 

him  to  let  him  stay  with  him.     But  Jesus  refused. 

"Go  back  to  your  home,  to  your  own  people,"  he  said,  "and 

tell  them  of  all  that  the  Lord  has  done  for  you,  and  how  he  took 

pity  on  you." 
So  the  man  went,  and  began  to  proclaim  in  the  district  of  the 

Ten  Towns  all  that  Jesus  had  done  for  him  ;  and  every  one  was 

amazed. 

3Iark  v.  18-20.    The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testamentin  Modern  English,  p.  13. 

The  First  Missionary  to  Decapolis 

And  yet  He  did  not  leave  them  in  anger.  One  deed  of  mercy 
had  been  done  there  ;  one  sinner  had  been  saved  ;  from  one  soul 
the  unclean  spirits  had  been  cast  out.  And  just  as  the  united 
multitude  of  the  Gadarenes  had  entreated  for  His  absence,  so  the 
poor  saved  demoniac  entreated  henceforth  to  be  with  Him. 

But  Jesus  would  fain  leave  one  more,  one  last  opportunity  for 
those  who  had  rejected  Him.  On  others  for  whose  sake  miracles 
had  been  performed  He  had  enjoined  silence  ;  on  this  man — since 
He  was  now  leaving  the  i:)lace — He  enjoined  publicity. 

"Go  home,"  He  said,  "  to  thy  friends,  and  tell  them  how  great 
things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,  and  hath  had  compassion  on 
thee." 

And  so  the  demoniac  of  Gergesa  became  the  first  great  mission- 
ary to  the  region  of  Decapolis,  bearing  in  his  own  person  the  con- 
firmation of  his  words ;  and  Jesus,  as  His  little  vessel  left  the 
inhospitable  shore,  might  still  hope  that  the  day  might  not  be 
far  distant — might  come,  at  any  rate,  before  over  that  ill-fated 
district  burst  the  storm  of  sword  and  fire — when 

"E'en  the  witless  Gadarene, 
Preferring  Christ  to  swine,  would  feel 
That  life  is  sweetest  when  'tis  clean." 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D,,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  342. 

The  Agonising  Appeal  of  Jairas 
And  when  Jesus  had  crossed  over  again  in  the  boat  nnto  the 
other  side,  a  great  multitude  was  gathered  unto  him  ;  and  he  was 
by  the  sea. 


252      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  there  cometh  oue  of  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue,  Jairus  by 
name  ;  and  seeing  him,  he  falleth  at  his  feet,  and  beseecheth  him 
much,  sayiug, 

My  little  daughter  is  at  the  point  of  death  :  I  pray  thee,  that 
thou  come  and  lay  thy  hands  on  her,  that  she  may  be  made 
whole,  and  live. 

And  he  went  with  him  ;  and  a  great  multitude  followed  him, 
and  they  thronged  him. 

3Iark  v.  21-24.     American  Ee vision. 

Stopped  on  the  Way  by  an  Afflicted  Woman 

And  a  woman  who  had  an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years,  and  had 
suffered  many  things  of  many  physicians,  and  had  spent  all  that 
she  had,  and  was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grew  worse,  having 
heard  the  things  concerning  Jesus,  came  in  the  crowd  behind, 
and  touched  his  garment.  For  she  said.  If  I  touch  but  his  gar- 
ments, I  shall  be  made  whole. 

And  straightway  the  fountain  of  her  blood  was  dried  up ;  and 
she  felt  in  her  body  that  she  was  healed  of  her  plague. 

And  straightway  Jesus,  perceiving  in  himself  that  the  power 
proceeding  from  him  had  gone  forth,  turned  him  about  in  the 
crowd  and  said.  Who  touched  my  garments  ? 

And  his  disciples  said  unto  him,  Thou  seest  the  multitude 
thronging  thee,  and  sayest  thou.  Who  touched  me  ? 

And  he  looked  round  about  to  see  her  that  had  done  this 
thing.  But  the  woman  fearing  and  trembling,  knowing  what 
had  been  done  to  her,  came  and  fell  down  before  him,  and  told 
him  all  the  truth. 

And  he  said  unto  her.  Daughter,  thy   faith  hath  made  thee 
whole  ;  go  in  peace,  and  be  whole  of  thy  plague. 
Mark  v.  25-34.     American  Revision. 

**  If  I  Can  Just  Touch  His  Robe !  ** 

Now,  amid  this  motley  mass  of  humanity,  there  was  a  sick 
woman  who  had  been  subject  to  a  loss  of  blood  for  some  twelve 
years.  Such  a  malady  was  a  dreadful  humiliation  for  any 
daughter  of  Israel ;  because  it  was  looked  upon  as  a  scourge 
that  was  only  laid  on  women  of  wicked  character,  and  hence 


CALMING  A  STORM,  AND  OTHER  WONDERS    253 

those  afflicted  with  it  were  avoided  aud  despised.  The  poor 
sufferer  had  paid  out  all  her  means  in  fees  to  the  physicians,  but 
still  in  vain.  She  had  undergone,  without  any  benefit,  all  that 
peculiar  treatment  which  the  Talmud  gives  us  some  curious  de- 
tails, yet  the  disease  grew  greater  every  day. 

She  had  now  given  up  all  other  hope  save  in  Jesus  ;  but  she 
was  still  held  back  by  her  timidity  and  shame,  both  because  she 
had  nothing  at  all  to  offer  Him,  and  because  her  sickness  was 
thought  to  be  such  a  terrible  disgrace  ;  at  last  she  resolved  to  get 
the  gifts  of  grace  by  stealth,  like  a  thief. 

"If  I  can  just  touch  His  robe,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  I  shall 
be  healed." 

Urged  on  by  this  intense  aud  lively  faith,  she  glided  through 
the  multitude,  pushed  her  way  right  up  to  the  Master,  and 
furtively  seized  the  tassel  hanging  from  His  mantle  in  her  thin 
and  wasted  fingers. 

Scarcely  had  she  touched  it,  when  the  issue  of  blood  was 
stopped  ;  her  trust  had  been  rewarded.  With  beating  heart  and 
half  choked  with  fear,  she  fell  back  amid  the  crowd. 

But  though  no  one  had  noticed  her  act,  Jesus  knew  it  of  Him- 
self. Feeling  at  once  that  power  had  gone  out  from  Him,  He 
halted  and  turned  toward  the  people. 

"  Who  has  touched  my  garment?"  He  said. 

As  each  one  began  to  plead  innocence,  Peter  and  those  round 
Him  replied, — 

"Master,  the  people  crowd  about  and  harass  you,  and  can  you 
ask,  *  Who  has  touched  me  ?'" 

"I  have  felt  that  power  has  gone  out  from  me,"  Jesus  an- 
swered; "  some  one  has  touched  me. " 

And  as  His  eyes  fell  upon  the  throng  He  fixed  one  of  those 
grave  and  piercing  glances,  which  fathom  the  depths  of  the  heart, 
upon  her  whom  He  had  healed.  The  woman,  seeing  herself  dis- 
covered, began  trembling,  then  tottered  to  Him  and  fell  at  His 
feet,  declaring  before  all  the  people  for  what  cause  she  had 
touched  Him,  and  how  on  the  instant  she  had  been  cured.  The 
Lord  had  merely  looked  for  this  simple  acknowledgment. 

"My  child,  be  of  good  courage,"  He  said  to  her;  "go  in 
peace,  your  faith  has  saved  you." 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abb6  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  318. 


254      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

She  Only  Touched  the  Hem 

She  only  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment 

As  to  His  side  she  stole, 
Amid  the  crowd  that  gathered  around  Him 

And  straightway  she  was  whole. 


He  turned  with,  "  Daughter  be  of  good  comfort, 

Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole." 
And  peace  that  passeth  all  understanding 

With  gladness  filled  her  soul. 

The  Hem  of  His  Garment,  Geo.  F.  Root,  Gospel  Hymns,  J^os.  1  to  6  Complete, 
p.  636. 

Tradition  Concerning  This  Woman 

The  "  Gospel  of  Nicodemus"  gives  Veronica  as  the  name  of  the 
sick  woman,  and  tradition  says  that  after  her  cure  she  returned 
to  Caesarea  Philippi,  her  native  laud,  where  she  set  up  a 
monument  of  bronze,  which  represented  her  as  she  lay  prostrate 
at  the  feet  of  the  Saviour.  There  is  a  graceful  legend  to  the  effect 
that  a  flowering  shrub  grew  up  close  by  the  statue,  and  that  it 
was  immediately  endowed  with  the  power  of  healing  all  sick- 
uesses,  from  the  moment  that  its  stem  once  touched  the  hem  of  the 
statue's  mantle.  Daring  four  centuries  the  Church  venerated  this 
touching  memefnto  of  the  loving- kindness  of  Jesus. 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  Abbe  Constant  Fouard,  Vol.  I,  p.  320.  (Foot-note. ) 

**  Thy  Daughter  Is  Dead !  ** 

While  he  yet  spake,  they  come  from  the  ruler  of  the  syna- 
gogue's house,  saying, 

Thy  daughter  is  dead  :  why  troublest  thou  the  Teacher  any 
further  ? 

But  Jesus,  not  heeding  the  word  spoken,  saith  unto  the  ruler  of 
the  synagogue. 

Fear  not,  only  believe. 

And  he  suffered  no  mnn  to  follow  with  him,  save  Peter,  and 
James,  and  John  the  brother  of  James.  And  they  come  to  the 
house  of  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  ;  and  he  beholdeth  a  tumult, 
and  many  weeping  and  wailing  greatly. 


CALMING  A  STORM,  AND  OTHER  WONDERS    255 

And  when  he  was  entered  iu,  he  saith  unto  them, 

Why  make  ye  a  tumult,  and  weep  ?  the  child  is  not  dead,  but 
sleepeth. 

And  they  laughed  him  to  scorn.  But  he,  having  put  them  all 
forth,  taketh  the  father  of  the  child  and  her  mother  and  them 
that  were  with  him,  and  goeth  iu  where  the  child  was.  And 
taking  the  child  by  the  hand,  he  saith  unto  her, 

Talitha  cumi  ;  which  is,  being  interpreted,  Damsel,  I  say  unto 
thee,  Arise. 

3Iark  v.  35-41.     American  Revision. 

**  It  Is  Between  Me  and  Thee,  Little  Maid  ** 

Jesus  silently  regarded  the  little  maid. 

She  lay  uncouscious,  and  was  quite  rigid.  The  rare  trances 
known  to  medical  science  show  less  evidence  of  death  than  the 
child  did.  She  lay  on  her  pallet,  cold,  with  the  pathetic,  won- 
dering look  which  death  casts  upon  childhood,  as  if  she  said  : 

"  Why,  this  is  what  happens  to  old  people  ! " 

Jesus  looked  at  her  with  a  strange  expression.  His  eyes 
seemed  to  say  : 

"  It  is  between  me  and  thee,  little  maid.     We  understand." 

He  was  known  to  be  very  fond  of  children,  and  they  of  him  ; 
he  was  sometimes  seen  with  them  climbing  over  his  lap  and 
laughing,  as  they  put  their  arms  about  his  neck  with  the  unerring 
identification  of  those  whom  they  can  trust,  which  only  children 
and  dogs  possess.  Mothers  brought  their  babes  to  him  for  his 
blessing,  and  it  is  recorded  how  lovingly  he  gave  it. 

Now  he  looked  at  the  little  girl  with  the  tenderness  that  is 
only  to  be  expected  of  those  in  whom  the  love  of  children  is  pro- 
found and  genuine. 

She  seemed  to  quiver  beneath  his  look,  but  her  color  and  her 
attitude  did  not  change.     Then  he  took  her  by  the  hand. 

Her  little,  wasted  fingers  lay  for  a  few  moments  in  his  nervous 
and  vital  grasp  ;  then  he  felt  them  tremble.  - .  .  .  Who  sees 
the  instant  when  the  lily  blossoms !  Wlio  could  have  detected 
the  moment  of  time  in  which  the  child  began  to  stir  ?  Was  it  his 
hand  that  moved,  or  hers  that  directed  his  slowly  upward  till  it 
reached  her  pillow,  and  so  came  upon  a  level  with  her  face? 

It  did  not  seem  sudden  or  startling,  but  only  the  most  natural 


256      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

thing  ill  the  world,  wheu  the  little  girl  laid  her  cheek  upon  his 
palm.     .     .     . 

"Give  lier  something  to  eat,"  said  the  healer,  quite  in  his 
ordinary  tones. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  224. 

Two  Blind  Men  and  a  Dumb  Demon 

And  as  Jesus  passed  by  from  thence,  two  blind  men  followed 
him,  crying  out,  and  saying,  Have  mercy  on  us,  thou  son  of 
David. 

Aud  when  he  was  come  into  the  house  the  blind  men  came  to 
him  :  aud  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do 
thisi 

They  say  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord. 

Then  touched  he  their  eyes,  saying.  According  to  your  faith  be 
it  done  unto  you. 

And  their  eyes  were  opened.  Aud  Jesus  strictly  charged  them, 
saying,  See  that  no  man  know  it. 

But  they  weut  forth,  and  spread  abroad  his  fame  in  all  that 
land. 

And  as  they  went  forth,  behold,  there  was  brought  to  him  a 
dumb  man  possessed  with  a  devil.  And  when  the  devil  was  cast 
out,  the  dumb  man  spake :  aud  the  multitudes  marveled,  saying, 
It  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel. 

Matthew  ix.  27-34.     Revised  Version. 


XX 
"NONE  GEEATER  THAN  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST" 

Heaven  has  no  rage    .     .     . 

Nor  hell  a  fury  like  a  woman  scorned. 

— Congreve. 

The  Baptist  Reproves  Herod 
For  Herod  himself  had  sent  forth  aud  laid  hold  upon  John, 
and  bound  him  in  prison  for  the  sake  of  Herodias,  his  brother 
Philip's  wife ;  for  he  had  married  her.  For  John  said  unto 
Herod,  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  have  thy  brother's  wife.  And 
Herodias  set  herself  against  him,  and  desired  to  kill  him  ;  and 
she  could  not ;  for  Herod  feared  John,  knowing  that  he  was  a 
righteous  and  holy  man,  and  kept  him  safe.  And  when  he  heard 
him,  he  was  much  perplexed  ;  and  he  heard  him  gladly. 
3fark  vi.  17-20.     American  Revision. 

The  Grand  Httmility  of  the  Baptist 
The  popularity  of  Jesus  had  roused  the  jealousy  of  the  dis- 
ciples of  the  Baptist,  and  had  even  led  to  angry  feeling.  A 
dispute  with  a  Jew — likely  a  disciple  of  Jesus — respecting  bap- 
tism, brought  matters  to  a  crisis.  He  had,  apparently,  claimed 
for  that  of  Jesus  a  higher  power  of  cleansing  from  the  guilt  of 
sin  than  that  of  their  Master.  Irritated  and  annoyed,  John's 
followers  returned  and  told  him  how  He  "  who  had  been  with 
him  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom  he  had  borne  witness,  was  baptiz- 
ing, and  that  all  men  were  now  coming  to  Him."  The  news 
only  seemed  to  bring  the  grand  humility  of  the  Baptist  more 
prominently  than  ever  into  view,  and  showed  him  to  be  above 
any  selfish  or  petty  thought ;  a  man  to  whom  the  will  of  God  was 
the  abiding  law. 

"  He  must  increase,"  said  he,  '^bat  I  must  decrease,  for  He  is 
the  Christ,  the  Bridegroom.  I  rejoice  greatly  to  hear  His  voice. 
He  is  from  above,  and,  therefore,  above  all  :  I  am  only  of  the 
earth,  aud  speak  as  such.     He  has  received  the  testimony  of 

267 


258      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

heaveu  :  He  has  the  power  of  life  aud  death  :  He  is  the  beloved 
sou,  into  whose  haud  the  Father  has  committed  all  things." 

The  Life  and  Words   of  Christ,  Cuuuiugbam  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  394. 

**  Art  Thott  the  Coming  One  ?  ** 

And  John  calling  unto  him  two  of  his  disciples,  sent  them 
unto  Jesus,  saying,  Art  thou  he  that  should  come!  or  look  we 
for  another  ? 

When  the  men  were  come  unto  him,  they  said,  John  Baptist 
hath  sent  us  unto  thee  saying.  Art  thou  he  that  should  come  ?  or 
look  we  for  another  ? 

Aud  in  that  same  hour  he  cured  many  of  their  infirmities  aud 
plagues,  and  of  evil  spirits  ;  and  unto  many  that  were  blind  he 
gave  sight. 

Then  Jesus  answering  said  unto  them,  Go  your  way,  and  tell 
John  what  things  ye  have  seen  aud  heard  ;  how  that  the  blind  see, 
the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead 
are  raised,  to  the  poor  the  gospel  is  preached.  Aud  blessed  is 
he,  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended  in  me. 

And  when  the  messengers  of  John  were  departed,  he  began  to 
speak  unto  the  people  concerning  John,  What  went  ye  out  into 
the  wilderness  for  to  see  ?     A  reed  shaken  with  the  wind  ? 

But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see?  A  man  clothed  in  soft 
raiment?  Behold,  they  which  are  gorgeously  aj)pareled,  and 
live  delicately,  are  in  the  kings'  courts. 

But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ?  Yea,  I  say 
unto  you,  and  much  more  than  prophet. 

This  is  he  of  whom  it  is  written,  Behold,  I  send  my  messenger 
before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way  before  thee. 

For  I  say  unto  you,  Among  those  that  are  born  of  women  there 
is  not  a  greater  prophet  than  John  the  Baptist  :  but  he  that  is 
least  in  the  kingdom  of  God  is  greater  than  he. 

And  all  the  people  that  heard  him,  and  the  publicans,  justified 
God,  being  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  John. 

Bat  the  Pharisees  and  lawyers  rejected  the  counsel  of  God 
against  themselves,  being  not  baptized  of  him^ 

And  the  Lord  said,  Whereunto  then  shall  I  liken  the  men  of 
this  generation  ?  aud  to  what  are  they  like  ! 

They  are  like  unto  children  sitting  in  the  marketplace,  and 


«  NONE  GREATER  THAN  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST  "    259 

calliDg  ouo  to  anothei',  tind  sayiug,  We  have  piped  unto  you, 
aud  ye  have  not  danced  ;  we  have  mourned  to  you  and  you  have 
not  wept. 

For  John  the  Baptist  came  neither  eating  bread  nor  drinking 
wine  ;  and  ye  say,  He  hath  a  devil. 

The  Sou  of  man  is  come  eating  and  drinking  ;  and  ye  say, 
Behold  a  gluttonous  man,  and  a  wiuebibber,  a  friend  of  publi- 
cans and  sinners  ! 

But  wisdom  is  j  ustified  of  all  her  children. 
Luke  vii.  19-35.     Authorised  Version. 

Dreary  Days  for  John 

In  these  dreary  days  even  John's  faith  was  partially  eclipsed. 
The  news  that  came  to  him  of  Christ's  joyous  progresses  in 
Galilee  filled  him  with  alarm  and  doubt.  Had  he  been  mistaken 
after  all  in  recognising  Jesus  as  the  long-desired  Messiah  *?  The 
most  acute  paiu  that  John  ever  knew  was  tasted  in  the  pang  of 
such  a  question.  He  sent  a  dei)utation  to  Jesus,  asking  ' '  Art 
Thou  He  that  should  come,  or  look  we  for  another  1 "  The 
answer  he  received  should  have  assured  him  that  the  convivial 
feasts  in  Galilee  which  had  so  offended  his  disciples  were  by  no 
means  the  chief  feature  of  the  new  ministry  which  had  filled 
Galilee  with  an  intoxicating  joy. 

"Go,"  said  Jesus,  "and  show  John  again  those  things  which 
ye  do  hear  and  see  :  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame 
walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed  aud  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are 
raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them.  Aud 
blessed  is  he  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended  in  me." 

The  message  no  doubt  reached  John  but  there  is  no  record  of 
how  it  was  received.  One  would  like  to  think  that  John  died 
with  a  recovered  faith  in  Him  whom  he  had  called  the  Lamb  of 
God,  but  there  is  nothing  to  suggest  it.  When  darkness  settles 
on  a  great  mind  it  is  usually  impenetrable.  .  From  the  lonely 
height  of  Herod's  fortress  John  believed  himself  to  be  looking 
on  the  battlefield  of  a  lost  cause.  Perhaps  in  the  sadness  of 
these  gloomy  sunsets  he  came  to  sigh  for  death,  and  his  last 
thought  was  the  thought  of  Elijah:  "It  is  enough:  now,  O 
Lord,  take  away  my  life  ;  for  I  am  not  better  than  my  fathers. " 
The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  176. 


260      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Instructions  to  the  Twelve 

Aud  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  aud  the  villages,  teaching 
in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom, 
and  healing  all  manner  of  disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness. 
But  when  he  saw  the  multitudes,  he  was  moved  with  compassion 
for  them,  because  they  were  distressed  and  scattered,  as  sheep  not 
having  a  shepherd.     Then  saith  he  unto  his  disciples, 

The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  are  few.  Pray 
ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  he  send  forth  laborers 
into  his  harvest. 

And  he  called  unto  him  his  twelve  disciples,  and  gave  them 
authority  over  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  aud  to  heal  all 
mauner  of  disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness.     .     .     . 

These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth,  and  charged  them,  saying, 

Go  not  into  any  way  of  Gentiles,  and  enter  not  into  any  city  of 
the  Samaritans  :  but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel.     And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand. 

Heal  the  sick,  raise  the  dead,  cleanse  the  lepers,  cast  out  de- 
mons :  freely  ye  received,  freely  give. 

Get  you  no  gold,  nor  silver,  nor  brass  in  your  purses :  no 
wallet  for  your  journey,  neither  two  coats,  nor  shoes,  nor  staff: 
for  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  food. 

And  into  whatsoever  city  or  village  ye  shall  enter,  search  out 
who  in  it  is  worthy  ;  and  there  abide  till  ye  go  forth. 

Aud  as  ye  enter  into  the  house,  salute  it.  Aud  if  the  house  be 
worthy,  let  your  peace  come  upon  it :  but  if  it  be  not  worthy,  let 
your  peace  return  to  you.  And  whosoever  shall  not  receive  you, 
nor  hear  your  words,  as  ye  go  forth  out  of  that  house  or  that  city, 
shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  It  shall 
be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in  the  day 
of  judgment,  than  for  that  city. 

Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves :  be 
ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.  But  be- 
ware of  men  :  for  they  will  deliver  you  up  to  councils,  and  in 
their  synagogues  they  will  scourge  you  ;  yea  and  before  governors 
and  kings  shall  ye  be  brought  for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  to 
them  aud  to  the  Gentiles. 

But  when  they  deliver  you  up,  be  not  anxious  how  or  what  ye 


«  NONE  GREATER  THAN  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST  "    261 

shall  speak  :  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour  what  ye  shall 
speak.  For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father 
that  speaketh  in  you.  And  brother  shall  deliver  up  brother  to 
death,  and  the  father  his  child  :  and  children  shall  rise  up  against 
parents,  and  cause  them  to  be  put  to  death.  And  ye  shall  be 
hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake :  but  he  that  eudureth  to 
the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved. 

But  when  they  persecute  you  in  this  city,  flee  into  the  next : 
for  verily  I  say  unto  you.  Ye  shall  not  have  gone  through  the 
cities  of  Israel,  till  the  Son  of  man  be  come. 

A  disciple  is  not  above  his  teacher,  nor  a  servant  above  his 
lord.  It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his  teacher,  and 
the  servant  as  his  lord.  If  they  have  called  the  master  of  the 
house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  them  of  his  household  ! 

Fear  them  not  therefore  :  for  there  is  nothing  covered  that  shall 
not  be  revealed  ;  and  hid,  that  shall  not  be  known.  What  I  tell 
you  in  the  darkness,  speak  ye  in  the  light ;  and  what  ye  hear  in 
the  ear,  proclaim  upon  the  house-tops. 

And  be  not  afraid  of  them  that  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able 
to  kill  the  soul :  but  rather  fear  him  who  is  able  to  destroy  both 
soul  and  body  in  hell. 

Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  penny  ?  and  not  one  of  them 
shall  fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father  :  but  the  very  hairs 
of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not  therefore  :  ye  are  of 
more  value  than  many  sparrows. 

'■"■''  Every  one  therefore  who  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  will 
I  also  confess  before  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  But  whosoever 
shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father 
who  is  in  heaven. 

Think  not  that  I  came  to  send  peace  on  the  earth  :  I  came  not 
to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I  came  to  set  a  man  at  variance 
against  his  father,  and  the  daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the 
daughter  in  law  against  her  mother  in  law :  and  a  man's  foes  shall 
be  they  of  his  own  household.  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother 
more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me ;  and  he  that  loveth  son  or 
daughter  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me.  And  he  that  doth 
not  take  his  cross  and  follow  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  He 
that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and  he  that  loseth  his  life  for 
my  sake  shall  find  it. 


262      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  :NrAN 

He  tliat  receiveth  you  receiveth  me,  and  lie  that  receivttL  nie 
receiveth  him  that  seut  me.  He  tliat  receiveth  a  prophet  in  the 
name  of  a  prophet  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward  :  and  he  (hat 
receiveth  a  righteous  mau  iu  the  name  of  a  righteous  man  shall 
receive  a  righteous  man's  reward. 

Aud  whosoever  shall  give  to  driuk  iiuto  oue  of  these  little  ones 
a  cup  of  cold  water  only,  iu  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  he  shall  iu  no  wise  lose  his  reward. 

Aud  it  came  to  pass  when  Jesus  had  finished  commanding  his 
twelve  disciples,  he  departed  thence  to  teach  and  preach  iu  their 
cities. 

3Iattheiv  ix.  35-x.  1,  aud  x.  5-xi.  1.     American  Revision. 


A  Source  of  Alarm  as  Well  as  of  Insult 
The  winter  wore  away  in  Machterns,  the  spring  came,  and  with 
it  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Herod  the  Great,  and  of  the 
succession  of  Autipas  to  the  tetrarchy.  This  was  the  opportunity 
of  Autipas  to  arrange  a  great  feast.  Herodias  was  present  at  the 
feast,  with  Salome,  her  daughter  by  the  husband  whom  she  had 
disgraced  and  forsaken.  Whatever  lenience  John  had  won  from 
Herod,  it  is  certain  that  Herodias  hated  him.  Perhaps  this  very 
lenience  had  been  a  frequent  subject  of  dispute  between  them,  for 
Herodias,  free  from  all  compunction  iu  her  vices,  would  despise 
Herod  for  the  weakness  that  even  dallied  with  good  while  it  held 
fast  by  evil. 

In  any  case  John's  bold  rebuke  was  au  affront  offered  less  to 
Herod  thau  to  her.  The  dishonoured  woman  never  pardons  a 
reference  to  her  dishonour.  In  proportion  to  her  knowledge  of 
her  sin  is  the  frantic  desire  to  have  it  treated  as  though  it  had 
uot  been.  Thus  the  world  has  seen  again  and  again  the  strange 
spectacle  of  womeu  who  persuade  themselves  that  their  vice  does 
uot  exist  because  it  is  unremarked.  If  Herodias  had  ever  seen 
John,  which  it  is  nearly  certain  that  she  must  have  done,  she 
liad  read  iu  his  very  face  the  uncontrolled  abhorrence  which  he 
felt  for  her  ;  and  his  frequent  interviews  with  her  paramour  were 
a  source  of  alarm  as  well  as  insult.  But  uow  her  chauce  of 
vengeance  had  arrived. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  WiUiani  J.  Davrson,  p.  177. 


"  NONE  GREATER  THAN  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST  "    363 

A  Ghastly  Birthday  Banquet 

And  when  a  couveuieut  day  was  come,  that  Herod  on  hit 
birthday  made  a  supper  to  his  lords,  and  the  high  captaius,  aud 
the  chief  men  of  Galilee ;  aud  when  the  daughter  of  Herodias 
herself  came  in  aud  dauced,  she  pleased  Herod,  aud  them  that  sat 
at  meat  with  him  ;  aud  the  king  said  uuto  the  damsel.  Ask  of  me 
whatsoever  thou  wilt,  aud  I  will  give  it  thee.  Aud  he  sware  uuto 
her,  Ask  of  me  whatsoever  thou  wilt,  aud  I  will  give  it  thee. 
Aud  he  sware  uuto  her.  Whatsoever  thou  shalt  ask  of  me,  I  will 
give  it  thee,  uuto  the  half  of  my  kingdom. 

Aud  she  weut  out,  aud  said  uuto  her  mother,  What  shall  I 
ask  ? 

Aud  she  said.  The  head  of  John  the  Baptist. 

Aud  she  came  in  straightway  with  haste  unto  the  king,  and 
asked,  sayiug,  I  will  that  thou  forthwith  give  me  in  a  charger  the 
head  of  John  the  Baptist. 

Aud  the  king  was  exceeding  sorry ;  but  for  the  sake  of  his 
oaths,  aud  of  them  that  sat  at  meat,  he  would  uot  reject  her. 
And  straightway  the  kiug  seut  forth  a  soldier  of  his  guard,  aud 
commanded  to  briug  his  head  :  aud  he  went  and  beheaded  him  in 
the  prisou,  aud  brought  his  head  in  a  charger,  and  gave  it  to  the 
damsel ;  and  the  damsel  gave  it  to  her  mother. 

And  when  his  disciples  heard  thereof,  they  came  aud  took  up 
his  coi-pse,  aud  laid  it  in  a  tomb. 
3Iark  vi.  21-29.     Revised  Version. 

Bearing  the  Headless  Body  to  the  Burying 
It  is  all  over  !  As  the  pale  moruiug  light  streams  iuto  the 
keep,  the  fiiithful  disciples,  who  had  been  told  of  it,  come  rever- 
ently to  bear  the  headless  body  to  the  burying.  They  go  forth 
for  ever  from  that  accursed  place,  which  is  so  soon  to  become  a 
mass  of  shapeless  ruius.  They  go  to  tell  it  to  Jesus,  aud  hence- 
forth to  remain  with  Him.  We  can  imagine  what  welcome 
awaited  them. 

But  the  people  ever  afterwards  cursed  the  tyrant,  aud  looked 
for  those  judgments  of  God  to  follow,  which  wei-e  so  soon  to  de- 
scend on  him.  And  he  himself  was  ever  afterwards  restless, 
wretched,  and  full  of  apprehensions.  He  could  scarcely  believe 
that  the  Baj)tist  was  really  dead,  aud  wheu  the  fame  of  Jesus 


204      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

reached  him,  and  those  around  suggested  that  this  was  Elijah,  a 
prophet,  or  as  oue  of  them,  Herod's  mind,  amidst  its  strange  per- 
plexities, still  reverted  to  the  man  whom  he  had  murdered.  It 
was  a  new  anxiety,  perhaps,  even  so,  a  new  hope  ;  and  as  for- 
merly he  had  often  and  gladly  heard  the  Baptist,  so  now  he 
would  fain  have  seen  Jesus.     He  would  see  Him ;  but  not  now. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Slessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A,  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  674. 

Haunted  by  the  Remembrance  of  His  Victim 

After  the  death  of  the  Baptist,  Antipas  returned  to  Tiberias, 
haunted  by  the  remembrance  of  his  victim.  Salome  went  back 
to  her  elderly  husband,  who  had  already  built  a  tomb  for  him- 
self, in  Julias  Bethsaida,  and  did  not  long  survive  his  marriage. 
Salome,  left  a  widow,  once  more  returned  to  her  mother. 

The  marriage  had  been  a  speculation  of  Herodias,  who  hoijed 
thus  to  get  hold  of  the  territory  of  her  neighbour  and  son-in-law. 
But  the  scheme  failed,  for  the  tetrarchy  was  forthwith  iucor- 
porated  with  the  province  of  Syria.  Antipas,  however,  still 
hankered  after  it,  and  turned  wistful  eyes  towards  it,  from  his 
palace  at  Tiberias,  till,  at  last,  it  lured  him  and  Herodias  to 
ruin. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  409. 

No  Man  Was  Witness  to  Those  Houfs  of  Grief 

When  the  Twelve  came  back  to  their  Eabbi,  there  had  reached 
him  news  so  black  that  the  experiences  of  their  missionary  trip — 
although  they  told  him  all  about  them  volubly  enough — were  put 
well  into  the  background.  During  their  absence  had  occurred 
the  terrible  supper  at  the  palace  of  Herod,  when  a  girl  danced 
away  the  life  of  the  greatest  of  prophets  and  one  of  the  grandest 
of  men. 

The  execution  of  John,  after  all,  had  been  sudden.  .  .  . 
Jesus  was  overwhelmed  by  it. 

He  received  the  intelligence  in  silence,  and  went  away  alone  as 
soon  as  he  could.  He  spent  that  night  by  the  sea  in  the  solitary 
prayer  which,  while  it  made  such  havoc  of  his  vitality,  seemed 
strangely  to  renew  the  very  treasure  that  it  wasted.  No  man  was 
witness  to  those  hours  of  grief  and  of  resolve. 


«  NONE  GREATER  THAN  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST  "    265 

In  his  personal  bereavement  a  cousciousuess  of  personal  peril 
now  began  distinctly  to  mingle.  Jesus  was  not  the  man  to  be 
deceived  by  this  thrust  from  the  governmeut.  If  he  had  ever 
doubted  before,  he  could  doubt  no  longer  that,  as  a  political  sus- 
pect, he  himself  was  liable  to  mortal  dangers. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  227. 

Vague  Rumours  of  the  New  Prophet 
This  mission  of  the  Twelve,  brief  as  it  was,  had  the  effect  to 
extend  still  farther  the  ever- widening  reputation  of  Jesus.  Vague 
rumors  of  this  new  prophet  reached  the  ears  of  the  apostate  king. 
An  uneasy  conscience  awakened  in  him  superstitious  fears.  He 
imagined  that  John  had  risen  from  his  tomb  to  haunt  his  king- 
dom. A  new  danger,  therefore,  began  to  threaten  Christ,  who, 
ever  ready  to  meet  death,  was  yet  not  ready  to  die  before  his 
time  had  come. 

Upon  the  return  of  his  disciples,  he  accordingly  took  his  little 
boat,  and  sought  his  customary  retreat  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.  This  was  partly  to  escape  the  iuquisitiou  of 
Herod  ;  it  was  yet  more  to  escape  the  inquisition  of  the  people, 
for  the  passover  was  drawing  nigh. 

All  Galilee  was  beginning  to  gather  in  its  towns  and  villages 
preparatory  to  tlie  annual  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem.  The  high- 
ways were  filled  with  caravans.  Capernaum  was  crowded  with 
gathering  pilgrims.  Christ  and  his  twelve  friends,  meeting  after 
their  mission  in  this,  his  adopted  city,  had  neither  time  nor 
opportunity  for  quiet  converse.  Even  their  meal-hours  were  not 
their  own. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  305. 


XXI 
EVEN  GALILEE  TUEXS  AGAINST  HIM 

'Twas  seed-time  when  He  blessed  the  bread, 
'Twas  harvest  when  He  brake. 

Many  Believed  That  He  Was  the  Prophet 
Jesus  gave  Himself  to  the  common  people  of  Galilee,  and  they 
gave  Him  in  return  their  love  and  admiration.  Instead  of  hating 
Him  like  the  Pharisees  and  scribes,  and  calling  Him  a  glutton  and 
a  wine-bibber,  they  believed  Him  a  prophet ;  they  compared  Him 
with  the  very  greatest  figures  of  the  past,  and  many,  according  as 
they  were  more  struck  with  the  sublime  or  with  the  melting  side  of 
His  teaching,  said  He  was  Isaiah  or  Jeremiah  risen  from  the  dead. 
It  was  a  common  idea  of  the  time  that  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah  was  to  be  preceded  by  the  rising  again  of  some  prophet. 
The  one  most  commonly  thought  of  was  Elijah.  Accordingly 
some  took  Jesus  for  Elijah.  But  it  was  only  a  precursor  of  the 
Messiah  they  supposed  Him  to  be,  not  the  Messiah  Himself.  He 
was  not  at  all  like  their  conception  of  the  coming  Deliverer, 
which  was  of  the  most  grossly  material  kind. 

Now  and  then,  indeed,  after  He  had  wrought  some  unusually 
striking  miracle,  there  might  be  raised  a  single  voice  or  a  few 
voices,  suggesting.  Is  this  not  He?  But,  wonderful  as  were  His 
deeds  and  His  words,  yet  the  whole  aspect  of  His  life  was  so  un- 
like their  preconceptions,  that  the  truth  failed  to  suggest  itself 
forcibly  and  universally  to  their  minds. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev,  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  103. 

**  He  Is  Beside  Himself!^ 
And  they  went  into  an  house. 

And  the  multitude  cometh  together  again,  so  they  could  not  so 
much  as  eat  bread. 

And  when  his  friends  heard  of  it,  they  went  out  to  lay  hold  on 
him  :  for  they  said.  He  is  beside  himself. 
3Iark  iii.  19-21.     Authorised  Version. 

266 


EVEN  GALILEE  TURNS  AGAINST  HIM        267 

It  "Was  a  Year  of  Sore  Trial 

What  were  the  thoughts  aud  feeliugs  of  Jesus  Himself  during 
this  year  ?  To  Him  also  it  was  a  year  of  sore  trial.  Now  for  the 
first  time  the  deej)  lines  of  care  aud  paiu  were  traced  upon  His 
face.  During  the  twelve-month  of  successful  work  in  Galilee, 
He  was  borne  up  with  the  joy  of  sustained  achievement. 

But  now  He  became,  in  the  truest  sense,  the  Man  of  Sorrows. 
Behind  Him  was  His  rejection  by  Galilee.  The  sorrow  which  He 
felt  at  seeing  the  ground  on  which  He  had  bestowed  so  much  labour 
turning  out  barren,  is  to  be  measured  only  by  the  greatness  of 
His  love  to  the  souls  He  sought  to  save,  and  the  depth  of  His  de- 
votion to  His  work.  In  front  of  Him  was  His  rejection  at  Jeru- 
salem. That  was  now  certain  ;  it  rose  up  and  stood  out  constantly 
and  unmistakably,  meeting  His  eyes  as  often  as  He  turned  them 
to  the  future.  It  absorbed  His  thoughts.  It  was  a  terrible 
prospect ;  aud,  now  that  it  drew  nigh,  it  sometimes  shook  His 
soul  with  a  conflict  of  feelings  which  we  scarcely  dare  to  picture 
to  ourselves. 

He  was  very  much  in  prayer.  This  had  all  along  been  His  de- 
light aud  resource.  lu  His  busiest  period,  when  He  was  often  so 
tired  with  the  labours  of  the  day  that  at  the  approach  of  evening 
He  was  ready  to  fling  Himself  down  iu  utter  fatigue.  He  would 
nevertheless  escape  away  from  the  crowds  aud  His  disciples  to 
the  mountain-top,  and  spend  the  whole  night  in  lonely  communion 
with  His  Father.  He  never  took  any  important  step  without 
such  a  night.  But  now  He  was  far  oftener  alone  than  ever  be- 
fore, setting  forth  His  case  to  His  God  with  strong  crying  aud 
tears. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Chrisf,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  108, 

"Who  Are  My  Mother  and  Brethren  ?** 
While  he  was  still  speaking  to  the  crowds,  suddenly  his  mother 
and  his  brothers  were  seen  standing  outside,  asking  to  speak  to 
him.     Then  some  one  said  to  him,  "See,  thy  mother  and  brothers 
are  standing  out  there,  wishing  to  speak  with  thee." 
But  he  said  in  reply  to  the  one  who  told  him, 
"  Who  is  my  mother?     And  who  are  my  brethren  ?" 
And  reaching  out  his  hand  to  his  disciples,  he  said,  "See  my 
mother  and  my  brethren  !  " 


2GS      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

"For  whoever  is  doing  the  will  of  my  Father  iu  heaveu,  he  is 
my  brother,  and  sister,  aud  mother," 

Matthew  xii.  46-50.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

The  Group  and  the  Throng 

Aud  now  the  throng  approaches.  It  is  a  motley  multitude  of 
youug  aud  old,  composed  maiuly  of  peasauts,  but  with  others  of 
higher  rauk  interspersed  in  their  loose  array — here  a  frowning 
Pharisee,  there  a  gaily-clad  Herodiau  whispering  to  some  Greek 
merchant  or  Roman  soldier  his  scof&ng  comments  on  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  crowd.  But  these  are  the  few,  and  almost  every 
eye  of  the  large  throng  is  constantly  directed  towards  One  who 
stands  in  the  centre  of  the  separate  group  which  the  crowd  sur- 
rounds. 

In  the  front  of  this  group  walk  some  of  the  newly-chosen 
apostles :  behind  are  others,  among  whom  there  is  one  whose 
restless  glance  and  saturnine  countenance  accord  but  little  with 
that  look  of  openness  and  innocence  which  stamps  his  comrades 
as  honest  men.  Some  of  those  who  are  looking  on  whisper  that 
he  is  a  certain  Judas  of  Keriotb,  almost  the  only  follower  of  Jesus 
who  is  not  a  Galilean. 

A  little  further  iu  the  rear,  behind  the  remainder  of  the 
apostles,  are  four  or  five  women,  some  on  foot,  some  on  mules, 
among  whom,  though  they  are  partly  veiled,  there  are  some  who 
recognise  the  once  wealthy  aud  dissolute  but  uow  repentant 
Mary  of  Magdala  ;  and  Salome,  the  wife  of  the  fisherman  Zabdia 
[Zebedee]  ;  and  one  of  still  higher  wealth  and  position,  Joanna, 
the  wife  of  Chuza,  steward  of  Herod  Antipas. 

But  He  whom  all  eyes  seek  is  iu  the  very  centre  of  the  throng  ; 
and  though  at  His  right  is  Peter  of  Bethsaida,  aud  at  His  left  the 
more  youthful  figure  of  John,  yet  every  glance  is  absorbed  by  Him 
alone. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  I,  p.  309. 

The  Great  "Wrong  to  the  Name  of  Mary  of  Magdala 
Christ's  friendship   with   womeu   was     .     remarkable.      We 
have  already  seen  that  in  Capernaum  and  its  neighbourhood  there 
was  a  group  of  women  ''who  ministered  unto  Him  of  their  sub- 
stance."   Joauna,  the  wife  of  Chuza,  Herod's  steward,  was  the 


EVEN  GALILEE  TURNS  AGAINST  HIM        209 

chief  of  these  ;  au  unknown  woman,  bearing  the  lovely  Jewish 
name  of  Susanna,  or  "  the  lily,"  was  another.  It  has  been  sug- 
gested that  Chuza  may  have  been  the  centurion  who  besought 
Jesus  in  Caua  of  Galilee  to  heal  his  sou,  in  which  case  Joanna 
would  have  abundant  cause  to  show  the  liveliest  gratitude  to 
Christ. 

But  deserving  as  these  names  are  of  immortal  recollection, 
there  is  one  other  name  which  eclipses  theirs  in  interest — that  of 
Mary  of  Magdala.  Magdala  lies  in  a  bend  of  the  lake  upon  the 
green  plain  of  Gennesaret,  at  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  from 
the  town  of  Tiberias,  and  about  double  that  distance  from  Caper- 
naum. In  the  days  of  Christ  it  was  wealthy  and  prosperous,  the 
home  of  springs  which  were  much  valued  for  dyeing  processes, 
the  haunt  of  doves  which  were  bred  for  the  purposes  of  Temple 
offerings.     .     .     . 

Mary  was  perhaps,  the  daughter  of  some  wealthy  dyer  or 
manufacturer  of  Magdala.  She  appears  at  least  to  have  been  the 
mistress  of  her  own  movements,  and  able  to  follow  Jesus  to 
Jerusalem.  Until  the  day  when  Jesus  entered  Magdala  her  life 
had  been  a  misery,  and  a  torture.  She  was  afflicted  with  some 
obscure  form  of  hysteric  disease,  which  the  popular  phrase  of  the 
time,  applied  to  all  mental  derangements,  described  as  "posses- 
sion of  the  devil." 

But  from  that  day  a  new  life  opened  for  Mary  of  Magdala. 
Slie  became  the  heroine  of  an  ideal  affection.  The  world  held  for 
her  but  one  Name  and  one  Person.  The  common  error,  which 
has  done  her  the  gross  injustice  of  making  her  name  the  synonym 
of  an  odious  form  of  vice,  is  founded  on  a  total  misconception  of 
her  history. 

The  title  Magdalene  is  undoubtedly  derived  from  Magdala,  and 
she  is  called  Mary  Magdalene  merely  to  distinguish  her  from  the 
other  Marys  of  the  Gospels.  So  far  is  she  from  deserving  the 
odium  of  vice,  that  everything  in  her  history  points  to  a  nature 
of  extreme  sweetness  and  of  much  nobility.  Hereafter  we  shall 
see  the  unexampled  part  she  plays  in  the  triumph  of  the  new  re- 
ligion ;  and  it  will  then  become  of  great  importance  to  recollect 
her  real  character.  At  present  we  see  her  only  as  one  of  the 
closest  friends  of  Jesus. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawson,  p.  160. 


270      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

No  Opportunity  Even  to  Eat 

Aud  he  said  to  them,  "Come  aside  by  j^ourselves  into  a  de- 
serted place,  aud  rest  a  little." 

For  there  were  mauy  comiug  aud  goiug  aud  they  had  uo  op- 
portuuity  eveu  to  eat. 

Aud  they  weut  away  by  boat  to  a  forsakeu  place  apart.  Aud 
the  people  saw  them  goiug,  aud  mauy  recoguised  him,  aud  ruu- 
uiug  ou  foot  from  all  the  towus,  they  came  together  there  before 
him. 

Aud  Jesns,  haviug  lauded,  saw  a  great  multitude,   aud  was 
moved  with  pity  towards  them,  because  they  were  like  sheep  uot 
haviug  a  shepherd  :  aud  he  begau  to  teach  them  mauy  things. 
Mark  vi.  31-34.     A  literal  reuderiiig  from  the  Greek, 

**  How  Many  Loaves  Have  Yow  ?  ** 

Toward  eveuing  the  multitudes  became  huugry,  aud  iu  this 
uuiuhabited  j)lace  there  was  uo  opportunity  to  buy  provisious. 
Mauy  had  come  uusupplied  either  iu  their  haste  or  because  they 
did  uot  know  Jesus  was  goiug  into  a  desert  place,  or  that  they 
would  remain  so  long.  The  need  was  therefore  great  aud  real, 
though  iu  their  enthusiasm  they  may  not  have  realized  it  till 
quite  late.  ..."  Philip  was  apparently  a  matter-of-fact 
mau,  a  quick  reckoner  aud  a  good  man  of  business,  and,  there- 
fore, perhaps  more  ready  to  rely  ou  his  own  shrewd  calculations 
thau  ou  unseen  sources." 

Putting  all  the  accounts  together,  we  find  a  simple,  natural 
story. 

Jesus.  (Speaking  to  Philip,  whose  home  was  at  Bethsaida, 
aud  who  therefore  was  acquainted  with  the  region  aud  the 
people.)  "  ^Yheuce  shall  we  buy  bread  that  these  may  eat  ?  " 
(John.) 

Philip.  "  Two  hundred  pennyworth  ($32.00  worth)  is  not 
sufficient  for  them,  that  every  one  of  them  may  take  a  little. " 
(John.) 

The  Apostles.  "Send  the  multitudes  away  that  they  may  go 
into  the  towns  and  country  round  about,  and  lodge  aud  get 
victuals."     (Luke.) 

Jesus.     "  They  need  not  depart ;  give  ye  them  to  eat." 


EVEN  GALILEE  TURNS  AGAINST  HIM        271 

The  Apostles.  "  Shall  we  go  aud  buy  two  hundred  pennyworth 
of  bread  aud  give  them  to  eat?"     (Mark.) 

Jesus.     "How  many  loaves  have  ye?    Go  and  see."      (Mark.) 

Andrew.  (Returuiug  from  the  search  aud  speakiug  for  the 
apostles.)  "We  have  a  lad  here  who  has  five  barley  loaves  and 
two  fishes  ;  but  what  are  these  amoug  so  many  ?" 

Jesus.     "  Bring  them  hither  to  me." 
PelouheVa  Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  for  1908,  p.  81. 

"Make  the  Men  Sit  down  *' 

It  was  on  the  farther  side  of  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  a  region  which 
Christ  seldom  visited,  a  region  which  is  to-day  a  wilderness.  A 
multitude  had  followed  the  Lord  across  the  water  and  were  filling 
the  empty  place  with  crowd  aud  clamor  and  confusion.  Curiosity 
was  all  alive.  What  he  had  doue  last,  what  he  would  do  next,  was 
flying  about  in  question  and  answer  from  mouth  to  mouth.  The 
scene  was  full  of  movement.  Every  man  was  on  his  feet.  Old 
friends  were  meeting.  Christ's  adherents  were  eagerly  pleading 
for  him.  The  enemies  of  Christ  were  violently  claiming  that  he 
was  an  impostor.  Gestures  were  furious ;  words  came  fast  ; 
faces  glowed  ;  eyes  sparkled  ;  feet  hurried  back  and  forth.  Such 
is  the  picture  which  seemed  to  paint  itself  before  us  in  the  first 
verses  of  this  sixth  chapter  of  St.  John. 

And  then  there  comes  a  change.  The  midday  sun  grows  hot. 
Hunger  and  exhaustion  take  possession  of  these  excited  frames. 
The  need  of  rest  overcomes  the  eagerness  of  action.  And  out  of 
the  midst  of  the  flagging  tumult  comes  the  calm  voice  of  Jesus, 
saying  to  his  disciples  who  are  closest  to  him,  "  Make  the  men 
sit  down."  Aud  the  disciples  pass  here  aud  there  through  the 
crowd,  doing  their  Master's  will,  until  five  thousand  men  are 
seated  on  the  grass. 

Then  a  new  scene  appears.  Quiet  has  come  in  the  place  of 
noise ;  repose  instead  of  action.  Faces  which  were  just  now 
flushed  aud  excited  have  grown  calm.  And,-  what  is  really  at 
the  heart  of  all,  there  is  a  change  in  the  whole  crowd's  activity. 
It  has  become  receptive.  It  is  waiting  to  be  fed.  Not  only  with 
the  barley  loaves  aud  fishes.  The  presence  of  Christ  is  before  it 
and  it  receives  that.  By  and  by  the  words  of  Christ  fall  on  it 
and  it  i-eceives  them,  until  at  last  there  begins  to  break  forth 


272      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

from  the  seated  ranks  the  declaration  that  they  have  indeed  re- 
ceived him,  and  they  whisper  to  one  another,  "This  is  indeed 
the  proj)het  that  should  come  into  the  world." 

3Iake  the  3Ien  Sit  down,  Phillips  Brooks,  Twenty  Sermons,  p.  226. 

Feasting  Five  Thousand  Men,  besides  Women  and  Children 
And  he  ordered  them   to  make  them  all  lie  down  by  com- 
panies on  the  green  grass.     And  they  sat  in  ranks,  by  hundreds 
and  by  fifties. 

And  having  taken  the  five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes,  and  look- 
ing up  to  heaven,  he  blessed  and  broke  the  loaves  and  gave  to 
his  disciples  that  they  might  set  before  the  people.  And  the 
two  fishes  he  divided  among  them  all.  And  they  all  ate  and 
were  satisfied. 

3fark  vi.  39-42. 

He  distributed  to  those  who  were  reclining,  and,  in  the  same 
manner,  the  little  fishes  as  much  as  they  wished. 

And  when  they  were  all  satisfied,  he  said  to  his  disciples, 
"  Collect  the  pieces  left  over  so  that  nothing  may  be  wasted." 

They  therefore  gathered  together  and  filled  twelve  hand- 
baskets  of  fragments  fiom  the  five  barley  loaves,  which  were 
left  over  by  those  who  had  eaten. 

John  vi.  11-13. 

And  those  who  had  eaten  numbered  about  five  thousand  men, 
besides  women  and  children. 

Matthew  xiv.  21.     Literal  renderings  from  the  Greek. 

A  Crown  on  His  Dear  Head 

Some  lioui^s  had  passed.  The  "first  evening,"  the  "evening 
between  the  evenings,"  and  the  "  second  evening  "  were  gone.  It 
was  midnight ;  and  he  was  at  last  alone. 

It  had  been  a  hard  contest ;  but  he  had  conquered  the  people. 
This  was  a  much  more  difficult  thing  to  do — as  his  throbbing 
heart  and  exhausted  nerve  told  him — than  it  had  been  for  him  to 
feed  five  thousand  men  on  five  loaves  of  bread.  In  the  estimate 
of  his  strange  power  one  must  rank  very  high  among  mystical 
gifts  the  art,  the  force,  the  wit,  the  will  which  peaceably  dis- 
persed the  mob  that  night. 


EVEN  GALILEE  TURNS  AGAINST  HIM        273 

The  personal  friends  of  Jesus,  swept  into  the  general  excite- 
ment, were  almost  carried  off  their  feet.  They  would  have  liked 
nothing  better  than  to  see  their  Eabbi  with  a  crown  on  his  dear 
head.  They  considered  no  throne  too  good  for  him.  They  would 
have  headed  the  rioters  with  equal  zeal  and  indiscretion  ;  and 
might  have  been  in  a  Eoman  dungeon  before  another  sunset. 
Jesus  found  it  as  important  to  control  them  as  to  dismiss  the 
multitude  of  men  who  had  gone  into  such  a  frenzy  over  the 
events  of  this  exciting  day. 

To  the  dismay  of  the  Twelve  they  were  ordered  to  take  to  their 
boat  at  once  and  sail  away,  and  that  without  his  company.  This 
was  confounding.  What  a  disappointment  !  Not  to  stay  and 
see  what  was  going  to  hapi^en  ?  To  leave  the  Eabbi  alone  with 
the  mob  ?  To  have  no  share  in  this  tremendous  thing  ?  To  be 
sent  home  like  children  who  could  not  be  trusted  in  great  public 
affairs  ?    It  was  hard.     But  they  obeyed. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  240. 

**  O  Little-Faith !    Why  Didst  Thoo  Do«bt  ?  ** 

Jesus  immediately  compelled  his  disciples  to  get  into  the  boat 
and  to  go  on  ahead  of  him  to  the  other  side,  until  he  had  dis- 
missed the  crowd.  And  having  sent  the  crowds  away,  he  went  up 
the  mountain  by  himself  to  pray  :  and  evening  having  come  on 
he  was  there  alone. 

But  the  boat,  now  in  the  midst  of  the  lake,  was  tossed  by  the 
waves  ;  for  the  wind  was  against  them. 

But  in  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night  Jesus  went  to  them,  walk- 
ing upon  the  lake.  And  the  disciples  seeing  him  walk  on  the 
water,  said  in  alarm,  ''  It  is  a  ghost  !  "  And  they  cried  out  with 
fear. 

Jesus  immediately  spoke  to  them,  saying,  "  Be  of  good  courage ; 
it  is  I — do  not  be  afraid  ! ' ' 

And  Peter  answering  him  said,  "  Lord,  if  it  be  thou,  tell  me  to 
come  to  thee  upon  the  water." 

And  he  said,  "  Come  !  " 

And  having  got  down  out  of  the  boat,  Peter  walked  upon  the 
water  to  go  to  Jesus. 

But  seeing  the  high  wind,  he  was  frightened,  and,  beginning 
to  sink,  he  cried  out,  "Lord,  save  me  ! " 


274      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  Jesus  immediately  stretched  out  his  haud,  took  hold  of 
Peter  and  said  to  him,  *'0  Little-Faith  1  Why  didst  thou 
doubt ! " 

And  when  they  had  got  up  into  the  boat,  the  wind  ceased. 

And  those  who  were  in  the  boat  worshiped  him,  saying, 
''Truly  thou  art  the  Son  of  God ! " 

Maitheio  xiv,  22-33.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 


The  News  Spread  Far  and  Near 

When  day  broke  on  the  scene  of  the  miraculous  meal  of  the 
evening  before,  a  number  who  had  slept  in  the  open  air,  through 
the  warm  spring  night,  still  remained  on  the  spot.  They  had 
noticed  that  Jesus  did  not  cross  with  the  Twelve,  and  fancied 
that  He  was  still  on  their  side  of  the  lake. 

Meanwhile,  a  number  of  the  boats  which  usually  carried  over 
wood  or  other  commodities,  from  these  eastern  districts,  had  come 
from  Tiberias ;  blown  roughly  on  their  way  by  the  same  wind 
that  had  been  against  the  disciples.  In  these,  many,  finding  that 
Jesus  had  left  the  neighbourhood,  took  passage,  and  came  to 
Capernaum,  seeking  for  Him.  It  was  one  of  the  days  of  syna- 
gogue worship — Monday  or  Thursday — and  they  met  Him  on  His 
way  to  the  synagogue,  to  which  they  accordingly  went  with  Him. 

Excitement  was  at  its  height.  News  of  His  arrival  had  spread 
far  and  near,  and  His  way  was  hindered  by  crowds,  who  had,  as 
usual,  brought  their  sick  to  the  streets  through  which  He  was 
passing,  in  hope  of  His  healing  them. 

The  incidents  of  the  preceding  day  might  well  have  raised 
desires  for  the  higher  spiritual  food  which  even  the  rabbis  taught 
them  to  expect  from  the  Messiah.  But  they  felt  nothing  higher 
than  vulgar  wonder,  and  came  after  Jesus  in  hopes  of  further 
advantages  of  the  same  kind,  and,  above  all,  that  they  would 
still  find  in  Him  a  second  Judas  the  Gaulonite,  to  lead  them 
against  the  Eomans.  A  few,  doubtless,  had  worthier  thoughts, 
but,  to  the  mass,  the  Messiah's  kingdom  was  as  gross  as  Mahomet's 
paradise. 

They  were  to  be  gathered  together  into  the  Garden  of  Eden,  to 
eat,  and  drink,  and  satisfy  themselves  all  their  days,  with  houses 
of  precious  stones,  beds  of  silk,  and  rivers  flowing  with  wine,  and 


EVEN  GALILEE  TURNS  AGAINST  HIM        275 

spicy  oil  for  all.     It  was  that  He  might  gain  all  this  for  them 
that  they  wished  to  set  Him  up  as  king. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  179. 

They  Laid  Theit  Sick:  People  in  the  Marketplaces 

And  having  passed  over,  they  came  to  the  land  of  Gennesaret 
and  pulled  up  to  the  shore.  And  on  their  coming  out  of  the 
boat,  the  people  at  once  recognised  him,  and,  running  round  all 
that  region  they  began  to  carry  about  on  their  couches  those  that 
were  ill,  to  the  place  where  they  heard  he  was.  And  wherever 
he  went  into  villages,  or  cities,  or  in  the  fields,  they  laid  those 
who  were  sick  in  the  marketplaces,  and  pleaded  with  him  that 
they  might  touch  only  the  edge  of  his  garment ;  and  as  many  as 
touched  him  were  made  well. 

3Iark  vi.  53-56.     A  Uteral  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

Flocking  airoond  Him  for  the  Healing  Touch 

Early  on  the  Friday  morning  the  boat,  which  bore  Jesus  and 
His  disciples,  grated  on  the  sandy  beach  of  the  plain  of  Gennes- 
aret. As  the  tidings  spread  of  His  arrival  and  of  the  miracles 
which  had  so  lately  been  witnessed,  the  people  from  the  neighbour- 
ing villages  and  towns  fl.ocked  around  Him,  and  brought  their 
sick  for  the  healing  touch.  So  the  greater  part  of  the  forenoon 
passed. 

Meantime,  while  they  moved,  as  the  concourse  of  the  people  by 
the  way  would  allow,  the  first  tidings  of  all  this  must  have  reached 
the  neighbouring  Capernaum.  This  brought  immediately  on  the 
scene  those  Pharisees  and  scribes  "who  had  come  from  Jeru- 
salem "  on  purpose  to  watch,  and,  if  possible,  to  compass  the 
destruction  of  Jesus.  As  we  conceive  it,  they  met  the  Lord  and 
His  disciples  on  their  way  to  Capernaum.  Possibly  they  over- 
took them,  as  they  rested  by  the  way,  and  the  disciples,  or  some 
of  them,  were  partaking  of  some  food — perhaps,  some  of  the  con- 
secrated bread  of  the  previous  evening.  The  reproof  of  Christ 
would  be  administered  there  ;  then  the  Lord  would,  not  only  for 
their  teaching,  but  for  the  purposes  immediately  to  be  indicated, 
turn  to  the  multitude ;  next  would  follow  the  remark  of  the 
disciples  and  the  reply  of  the  Lord,  spoken,  probably,  when  they 


276      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

were  again  on  the  way ;   and,  lastly,  the  final  explanation  of 

Christ,  after  they  had  entered  the  house  at  Capernaum, 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  7. 

Teaching  the  Lesson  of  the  Bread  of  Life 

The  next  morning  the  crowd  that  stood  on  the  other  side  of  the 
lake  saw  that  there  was  no  other  boat  there,  except  the  one  that 
the  disciples  had  got  into,  and  that  Jesus  did  not  go  away  in  the 
boat  with  them,  but  that  his  disciples  had  gone  away  alone  (but 
other  boats  came  from  Tiberias  near  the  place  where  they  ate  the 
bread  after  the  Lord  had  given  thanks)  ;  therefore  when  the  crowd 
saw  that  Jesus  was  not  there,  nor  his  disciples,  they  themselves 
got  into  boats,  and  came  to  Capernaum  seeking  Jesus. 

And  when  they  found  him  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  they 
said  to  him,  "  Eabbi,  how  didst  thou  come  here?" 

Jesus  answered  them  and  said,  "  Verily,  verily  I  say  to  you, 
you  are  looking  for  me,  not  because  you  saw  signs,  but  because 
you  ate  of  the  loaves,  and  were  satisfied.  Work  not  for  the  food 
that  perishes  but  for  the  food  that  abides  unto  life  eternal,  which 
the  Son  of  man  will  give  you  :  for  the  Father,  God,  has  sealed 
him." 

They  said  therefore  to  him,  "  What  should  we  do,  that  we  may 
work  the  works  of  God  ? " 

Jesus  answered  and  said  to  them,  "This  is  the  work  of  God, 
that  you  should  believe  in  him  whom  God  has  sent." 

They  said  therefore  to  him,  "What  then  dost  thou  do  for  a 
sign,  that  we  may  see,  and  believe  thee?  What  workest  thou? 
Our  fathers  ate  the  manna  in  the  wilderness,  as  it  is  written, 
'Bread  out  of  heaven  he  gave  them  to  eat.'  " 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  them,  "Indeed,  indeed,  I  say  to  you,  it 
was  not  Moses  that  gave  you  the  bread  out  of  heaven,  but  my  Fa- 
ther gives  you  the  true  bread  from  heaven.  For  the  bread  of 
God  is  he  who  comes  down  out  of  heaven  and  gives  life  to  the 
world, " 

They  said  therefore  to  him,  "  Lord,  give  us  this  bread  forever. " 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "  I  am  the  bread  of  life  ;  he  that  comes  to 
me  shall  not  hunger  at  all,  and  he  that  believes  on  me  shall  never 
thirst  at  all.     But  I  said  to  you,  that  you  have  se«n  me,  and  yet 


EVEN  GALILEE  TURNS  AGAINST  HIM        277 

you  do  not  believe.     All  that  the  Father  gives  to  me  shall  come 
and  I  will  not  in  any  way  cast  out  him  that  comes  to  me. 

"For  I  have  come  down  out  of  heaven,  not  that  I  should  do 
my  will,  but  the  will  of  him  who  sent  me.  And  this  is  the  will 
of  the  Father  who  sent  me,  that  of  all  he  has  given  me  I  should 
not  lose  any  but  should  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  For  this  is 
the  will  of  him  who  sent  me  that  every  oue  who  sees  the  Sun, 
and  believes  in  him,  should  have  eternal  life ;  and  I  will  raise 
him  up  at  the  last  day." 

Therefore  the  Jews  were  murmuring  about  him  because  he 
said,  "I  am  the  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven."  And 
they  said,  >'Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  sou  of  Joseph,  whose  father 
and  mother  we  know?  How  then  does  he  say  now,  'I  have 
come  down  out  of  heaven  ?  '  " 

Jesus  answered,  therefore,  and  said  to  them,  ' '  Do  not  murmur 
with  one  another.  No  man  is  able  to  come  to  me,  unless  the 
Father  who  sent  me  attract  him  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the 
last  day. 

"It  is  written  in  the  prophets,  '  And  they  shall  all  be  taught 
of  God.'     Therefore  every  one  that  has  heard  from  the  Father 
aud  has  learned,  comes  to  me.     Not  that  any  one  has  seen  the 
Father,  except  he  who  is  from  God,  he  has  seen  the  Father. 

"  Truly,  truly,  I  say  to  you,  he  that  believes  on  me  has  eternal 
life.  I  am  the  bread  of  life.  Your  fathers  ate  the  manna  in 
the  desert  and  they  died.  This  is  the  bread  which  comes  down 
out  of  heaven,  that  any  oue  may  eat  of  it  aud  not  die.  I  am  the 
living  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven;  if  any  one  shall 
eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  forever  ;  and  the  bread  also  which 
I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the 
world." 

The  Jews  therefore  were  arguing  with  one  another,  saying, 
"  How  is  this  man  able  to  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  " 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  them,  ' '  Amen,  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  un- 
less you  shall  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man  and  shall  drink  his 
blood,  you  have  no  life  in  yourselves.  He  that  eats  my  flesh  and 
drinks  my  blood  has  eternal  life  ;  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last 
day.  For  my  flesh  truly  is  food,  and  my  blood  truly  is  drink. 
He  that  eats  my  flesh  aud  drinks  my  blood,  abides  in  me,  and  I 
in  him. 


278      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

"As  the  liviug  Father  sent  me,  aud  I  live  because  of  the 
Father,  so  he  that  eats  me,  he  also  shall  live  because  of  me. 
This  is  the  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven ;  not  as  your 
fathers  ate  and  died  ;  he  that  eats  this  bread  shall  live  forever." 

Therefore  many  of  his  disciples,  when  they  heard  this,  said, 
"  This  is  a  hard  word  ;  who  is  able  to  hear  it "?  " 

But  Jesus  knowing  in  himself  that  his  disciples  were  murmur- 
ing at  this,  said  to  them,  "Does  this  cause  you  to  stumble"? 
If  then  you  should  see  the  Sou  of  man  ascending  where  he  was 
before  ?  It  is  the  spirit  that  gives  life  ;  the  flesh  profits  nothing  : 
the  words  I  have  spoken  to  you  are  spirit  aud  life.  But  there  are 
some  of  you  who  do  not  believe." 

For  Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning  who  they  are  who  do  not 
believe,  and  who  it  was  who  should  deliver  him  up.     And  he 
said,  "  Therefore  have  I  said  to  you,  that  no  man  is  able  to  come 
to  me,  unless  it  be  given  to  him  from  my  Father." 
John  vi.  22-65.     A  literal  trauslatiou  from  the  Greek, 

A  Higher  Food  Than  Barley  Loaves 
Ye  have  come,  he  said  in  substance,  for  a  miracle,  not  for  the 
Messiah.  But  there  is  a  more  imperative  hunger  than  that  of 
the  body,  a  higher  food  than  that  of  barley  loaves  aud  fishes. 
Labor  for  that.  Rather  in  faith  receive  it ;  for  that  higher  food 
for  the  soul's  need  the  Son  of  God  supplies.  It  is,  indeed,  the 
very  fruit  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  hath  immortality  concealed  in  it. 
The  manna  which  Moses  gave  to  Israel  in  the  wilderness  was  but 
the  shadow  of  better  things  to  eoine.  The  bones  of  those  who  ate 
thereof  have  long  since  mingled  with  the  dust ;  but  he  that  eateth 
of  this  bread  shall  never  hunger  ;  he  that  drinketh  of  the  waters 
that  pour  from  the  Rock  of  Ages  shall  thirst  no  more. 

That  manna  of  Moses  was  for  Israel  only  ;  this  bread  is  for  the 
world ;  and  whoso  cometh  to  me  for  it  I  will  not  cast  out.  He 
may  die  to  sense,  but  spiritually  he  shall  live,  and  I  will  raise 
him  up  in  the  last  day.  Murmur  not  among  yourselves.  Though 
you  reject  me,  whosoever  has  felt  in  himself  the  fulfilment  of  the 
prophecy  of  Isaiah,  and  has  been  truly  taught  of  the  Father,  will 
recognize  beneath  the  disguise  of  the  son  of  the  carpenter  the  Sou 
of  God.  Every  such  a  one  cometh  unto  me,  and  he  that  believeth 
on  me  hath  partaken  of  the  true  bread  of  heaven  and  hath  re- 


EVEN  GALILEE  TURNS  AGAINST  HIM        279 

ceived  everlasting  life.     This  bread  I  will  give  by  no  miracle,  but 
by  my  death. 

While  I  live  I  can  not  give  life  to  the  world.  My  blood  must 
be  spilt  and  my  body  broken  ;  for  the  death  of  the  Messiah,  not 
his  coronation,  is  the  life  of  the  world.  The  bread  which  I  will 
give  is  my  flesh.  "For  verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye 
eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man,  and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no 
life  in  you  ; "  but  "  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my 
blood,  dwelleth  in  me  and  I  in  him." 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  315, 

The  Miracle  Had  Ceased  to  Be  a  Wonder 
The  miracle  of  the  loaves  had  ceased  to  be  a  wonder,  for  it  was 
some  hours  old.  But  this  new  illustration  of  the  superhuman 
power  of  their  Master  was  so  transcendent  that  their  wonder 
passed  into  worship.  The  impression,  like  many  before,  might 
soon  lose  its  force  ;  but  for  the  moment  they  were  so  awed  that, 
approaching  Him,  they  kneeled  in  lowliest  reverence,  and, 
through  Peter,  ever  their  spokesman,  paid  Him  homage  in 
words  then  first  heard  from  human  lips — "  Of  a  truth  Thou  art 
the  Son  of  God." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p.  178. 

Stfwck  the  Fatal  Blow  at  His  Own  Popolarity 
It  seemed  the  crowning  hour  of  success.  But  to  Jesus  Himself 
it  was  an  hour  of  sad  and  bitter  shame.  This  was  all  that  His 
year's  work  had  come  to  !  This  was  the  conception  they  yet  had 
of  Him  !  And  they  were  to  determine  the  course  of  His  future 
action,  instead  of  humbly  asking  what  He  would  have  them  to 
do  !  He  accepted  it  as  the  decisive  indication  of  the  effect  of  His 
work  in  Galilee.     He  saw  how  shallow  were  its  results. 

Galilee  had  judged  itself  unworthy  of  being  the  centre  from 
wliieh  His  kingdom  might  extend  itself  to  the  rest  of  the  land. 
H*;  fled  from  their  carnal  desires,  and  the  very  next  day,  meeting 
them  again  at  Capernaum,  He  told  them  how  much  they  had 
been  mistaken  in  Him  ;  they  were  looking  for  a  Bread-king,  who 
would  give  them  idleness  and  plenty,  mountains  of  loaves,  rivers 
of  milk,  every  comfort  without  labour.  What  He  had  to  give 
was  the  bread  of  eternal  life. 


280      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

His  discourse  was  like  a  stream  of  cold  water  directed  upon 
the  fiery  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd.  From  that  hour  His  cause  in 
Galilee  was  doomed  ;  "  many  of  His  disciples  went  back  and 
walked  no  more  with  Him."  It  was  what  He  intended.  It  was 
Himself  who  struck  the  fatal  blow  at  His  popularity.  He  re- 
solved to  devote  Himself  thenceforward  to  the  few  who  really 
understood  Him  and  were  capable  of  being  adherents  of  a  spiri- 
tual enterprise. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Eev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  104. 

Synagogues  No  Longer  Open  to  Him 
"When  His  "new  doctrine"  had  roused  the  opposition  of  the 
authorities,  the  use  of  the  synagogues  was  no  longer  permitted 
Him.  But,  even  from  the  first.  He  did  not  confine  Himself  to  fixed 
times  or  places.  He  addressed  the  people  on  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  or  the  lonely  slopes  and  valleys  of  the  hills,  in  the  streets 
and  market-places  of  towns  and  villages,  at  the  crossing  points 
of  the  public  roads,  and  even  in  houses  ;  any  place,  indeed,  that 
offered  audience,  was  alike  to  Him. 

The  burden  and  spirit  of  His  preaching  may  be  gathered  from 
the  Gospels  throughout.  He  proclaimed  Himself  the  Good  Shep- 
herd seeking  to  bring  back  the  lost  sheep  to  the  heavenly  fold  ;  to 
quicken  and  turn  towards  God  the  weak,  sinful  human  will,  and 
to  breathe  into  the  soul  aspirations  after  a  higher  spiritual  life, 
from  the  fullness  of  His  own  perfect  example. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D. ,  Vol.  II,  p.  38. 

**  Are  You  Also  Willing  to  Go  Away  ?  '* 
After  that  many  of  his  disciples  went  back  and  walked  with 
him  no  more. 

Jesus  said,  therefore,  to  the  Twelve,  "Are  you  also  wishing  to 
go  away?" 

Then  Simon  Peter  answered  him,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  1 
Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life,  and  we  have  believed  and 
known  that  thou  art  the  Anointed,  the  Son  of  the  living  God." 
John  vi.  66-69.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

Galilee  Rejects  the  Gospel 
The  verdict  of  Nazareth  is  c«»ufirmed  at  Capernaum.     Galilee 
has  rejected  the  Gospel,  and  it  will  not  again  be  preached  to  her ; 


EVEN  GALILEE  TUKNS  AGAINST  HIM        2S1 

within  her  bounds  there  is  no  longer  safety  for  her  Lord.  The 
Pharisees  are  lying  iu  wait  for  his  life.  Herod  is  seeking  to  seize 
him.  The  people,  advised  of  the  true  nature  of  his  mission,  turn 
against  him.  Among  his  own  disciples  many  follow  him  no  more. 
Nor  can  he  accompany  his  neighbors  to  the  paschal  feast  at  Jeru- 
salem, for  the  Sauhedrin  have  pi'onounced  him  worthy  of  death  ; 
and  if  still  there  are  many  ready  to  yield  him  a  warm  welcome, 
it  is  only  as  a  political  Messiah,  a  national  reformer,  a  Jewish 
Kossuth,  Cromwell,  Washington,  not  as  the  Lord  of  life  to  all 
mankind. 

While,  therefore,  all  Galilee  is  turning  its  face  southward  to 
attend  the  annual  gathering  of  the  nation  in  the  Holy  City,  Jesus 
proceeds  in  the  opposite  direction.  Of  all  the  multitude  who 
have  hitherto  accompanied  him,  the  Twelve  alone  remain  still 
faithful  to  their  Lord.  By  their  following  they  testify  their 
choice  of  the  new  kingdom  in  preference  to  the  old  theocracy  ; 
their  recognition  of  the  superiority  of  the  claims  of  the  Lamb  of 
God  to  those  of  the  laaschal  lamb  which  Moses  had  provided. 

An  outcast  by  his  own  people,  an  exile  from  his  native  laud, 
Jesus  enters  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lymau  Abbott,  p.  316. 


"  G)me  onto  Me,  All  Ye  That  Labour  and  Are  Heavy  Laden  *' 

Then  began  he  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein  most  of  his  mighty 
works  were  done,  because  they  repented  not. 

Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  !  woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida  !  for  if  the 
mighty  works  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon  which  were  done 
in  you,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes.  Howbeit  I  say  unto  you,  it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for 
Tyre  and  Sidon  in  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  you. 

And  thou,  Capernaum,  shalt  thou  be  exalted  unto  heaven? 
Thou  shalt  go  down  unto  Hades  :  for  if  the  mighty  works  had 
been  done  in  Sodom  which  were  done  in  thee,  it  would  have  re- 
mained until  this  day.  Howbeit  I  say  unto  you,  that  it  shall  be 
more  tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
than  for  thee. 

At  that  season  Jesus  answered  and  said,  I  thank  thee,  O  Fa- 
ther, Lord  of  Heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  didst  hide  these  things 


282      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

from  the  wise  and  understanding,  and  didst  reveal  them  unto 
babes  :  yea  Father,  for  so  it  was  well-pleasing  in  thy  sight. 

All  things  have  been  delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father  :  and  no 
one  knoweth  the  Sou,  save  the  Father  ;  neither  doth  any  one 
know  the  Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Sou 
willeth  to  reveal  him. 

Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest.     Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me  ;  for  I 
am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your 
souls.     For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light. 
MaMiew  xi.  20-30.     Kevised  Version. 


xxn 

A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK 

In  Christ  I  feel  the  heart  of  God 
Throbbing  from  Heaven  through  earth. 

— Lucy  Larcom. 

The  Glass  Works  of  Sidon  and  the  Dye  Works  of  Tyre 
Forsaking  the  shores  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  He  now  turned  to  the 
far  north,  with  the  Twelve  as  companions  of  His  flight.  His  way 
led  Him  over  the  rough  uplands  towards  Safed,  with  its  near 
view  of  the  snowy  summits  of  Lebanon.  Then,  leaving  Gischala 
on  the  right,  the  road  passed  through  one  of  the  many  woody 
valleys  of  these  highland  regions,  till,  at  the  distance  of  two  days' 
journey  from  the  lake,  it  reached  the  slope  at  the  foot  of  which 
lay  the  plains  of  Tyre.  A  yellow  strip  of  beach  and  sand  divides 
the  hills  from  the  sea,  into  which  the  insular  tougue  of  land  on 
which  Tyre  was  built  stretched  far.  He  looked  down,  perhaps 
for  the  first  time  so  closely,  on  the  smoking  chimneys  of  the  glass 
works  of  Sidon  and  of  the  dye  works  at  Tyre  ;  on  the  long  rows 
of  warehouses  filled  with  the  merchandise  of  the  world ;  on  the 
mansions,  monuments,  public  buildings,  palaces,  and  temples 
of  the  two  cities,  and  their  harbours  and  moles  crowded  with 
shipping. 

The  busy  scene  before  Him  was  the  land  of  the  accursed 
Cauaauite  ;  the  seat  of  the  worship  of  Baal  and  Ashtaroth,  which 
had  so  often  corrupted  Israel ;  a  region,  with  all  its  wealth  and 
splendour,  and  surpassing  beauty  of  palm  groves,  ^nd  gardens,  and 
embowering  green,  so  depraved  and  polluted,  that  the  Hebrew 
had  adopted  the  name  of  Beelzebub — one  of  its  idols — as  the  name 
for  the  Prince  of  Devils.  Yet,  even  here,  Jesus  felt  a  pity  and 
charity  unknown  to  His  nation,  and  the  great  sea  beyond,  whit- 
ened with  wing-like  sails,  would  be  like  a  dream  of  the  future, 
when  distant  lands,  washed  by  the  waves  over  which  these  vessels 
sped,  would  gladly  receive  the  message  He  came  to  deliver. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  204. 

283 


2S4      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Faith  of  a  Gentile  Woman 

Aud  he  arose,  and  went  away  from  there  into  the  borders  of 
Tyre  aud  Sidon.  And  having  entered  the  house,  he  wished  no 
man  to  know,  but  he  could  not  be  hidden. 

For  a  woman,  whose  little  daughter  had  an  unclean  spirit,  hav- 
iug  heard  about  him,  came  and  fell  at  his  feet. 

Now  the  woman  was  a  Greek,  a  Syrophoeniciau  by  race.  And 
she  asked  him  that  he  should  cast  the  demon  out  of  her  daughter. 

But  Jesus  said  to  her,  "  Let  the  children  be  satisfied  first ;  for 
it  is  not  good  to  take  the  bread  of  the  children  aud  throw  it  to 
the  dogs." 

But  she  answered  and  said  to  him,  "  Yes,  Lord  ;  but  even  the 
little  dogs  uuder  the  table  eat  crumbs  of  the  children." 

And  he  said  to  her,  '*  Because  of  this  word,  go  !  The  demon 
has  gone  out  of  thy  daughter." 

And  having  gone  away  to  her  house,  she  found  the  demon  had 
gone  forth  and  the  child  laid  on  the  bed. 

Mark  vii.  24-30.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

God  Has  Not  Forgotten  Us  Gentiles 

Christ  said  to  the  heathen  woman :  I  am  not  sent  but  to  the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel :  yet  afterwards  he  helped  both 
her  aud  her  daughter  ;  therefore  a  man  might  say  :  Christ  here 
contradicted  himself.  I  reply  :  True,  Christ  was  not  sent  to  the 
Gentiles,  but  when  the  Gentiles  came  unto  him,  he  would  not 
reject  or  put  them  from  him.  In  person  he  was  sent  only  to  the 
Jews,  aud  therefore  he  preached  only  to  the  Jews.  But  through 
the  apostles  his  doctrine  went  into  the  whole  world. 

Aud  St.  Paul  names  the  Lord  Christ  ...  by  reason  of 
the  promise  which  God  gave  to  the  fathers.  The  Jews  themselves 
boast  of  God's  justness  in  performing  what  he  promised,  but  we 
Gentiles  boast  of  God's  mercy  ;  God  has  not  forgotten  us  Geutiles, 

The    Table    Talk  of   Martin   Luther,    Translated   and   Edited   by   William 
Hazlitt,  Esq.,  p.  105. 

He  Resumed  His  Journey 
If  even  the  brief  stay  of  Jesus  in  that  friendly  Jewish  home  by 
the  borders  of  Tyre  could  not  remain  unknown,  the  fame  of  the 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK       285 

healing  of  the  Syro-Phceuician  maiden  would  soon  have  rendered 
impossible  that  privacy  and  retirement,  which  had  been  the 
chief  object  of  His  leaving  Capernaum. 

Accordingly,  when  the  two  paschal  days  were  ended,  He  re- 
sumed His  journey,  extending  it  far  beyond  any  previously  under- 
taken, perhaps  beyond  what  had  been  originally  intended.  The 
borders  of  Palestine  proper,  though  not  of  what  the  rabbis 
reckoned  as  belonging  to  it,  were  passed.  Making  a  long  circuit 
through  the  territory  of  Sidon,  He  descended — probably  through 
one  of  the  passes  of  the  Heimon  range — into  the  country  of  the 
tetrarch  Philip.  Thence  He  continued  "through  the  midst  of 
the  borders  of  Decapolis,"  till  He  once  more  reached  the  eastern, 
or  southeastern,  shore  of  the  lake  of  Galilee. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersheini,  M,  A.  Oxon,, 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  44. 

"Working  Miracles  in  Decapolis 
And  having  departed  again  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Tyre 
and  Sidon,  he  came  to  the  lake  of  Galilee,  through  the  region  of 
the  Ten  Cities. 

3Iark  vii.  31. 

And  having  gone  up  the  mountain,  he  was  sitting  there.  And 
great  crowds  came  to  him  having  with  them  those  who  were  lame, 
blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many  others,  and  they  put  them  down 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  He  healed  them  ;  so  that  the  crowds  won- 
dered at  seeing  the  dumb  speaking,  the  maimed  restored,  the  lame 
walking,  and  the  blind  seeing  ;  and  they  glorified  the  God  of 
Israel. 

Matthew  xv.  29-31.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek, 

**  Even  the  Deaf  Hear,  and  the  Dumb  Speak !  ** 
And  they  bring  to  him  a  deaf  man  who  spoke  with  difficulty, 

and  they  beseech  him  to  lay  his  hand  on  him. 

And  having  taken  him  away  from  the  crowd  aside,  he  put  his 

fingers  to  his  ears,  and  having  spit,  he  touched  his  tongue  ;  and 

looking  up  to  heaven,  he  groaned  and  said  to  him,  "Ephphatha," 

that  is,  "  Be  opened  !  " 

And  immediately  his  ears  were  opened,  and  the  stricture  of  his 

tongue  was  loosened,  and  he  spoke  plainly.     And  he  charged 


286      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAX 

them  that  tliey  should  tell  no  oue  ;  but  mucli  as  he  charged  them, 
so  much  aud  a  great  deal  more  they  proclaimed. 

Aud  they  were  astonished  above  measure,  saying,  ''He  has 
done  all  things  well ;  he  makes  both  the  deaf  hear  and  the  dumb 
speak." 

Mark  vii,  32-37.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

A  Deaf  Man  "Who  Could  Only  Stammer 
A  man  had  been  brought  to  Hiin  who  was  deaf,  and  could  only 
stammer  inarticulately ;  and  He  was  besought  to  heal  him. 
From  what  motive  is  not  told.  He  varied  His  usual  course. 
Taking  him  aside  from  the  multitude,  perhaps  to  have  more 
freedom,  perhaps  to  avoid  their  too  great  excitement  and  its 
possibly  hurtful  political  consequences,  He  put  His  fingers  into 
the  man's  ears,  and  touched  his  tongue  with  a  finger  moistened 
on  His  own  lips. 

It  may  be  that  these  simple  forms  were  intended  to  waken  faith 
in  one  who  could  hear  no  words,  for,  without  the  fitting  spirit, 
the  miracle  would  not  have  been  wrought.  Looking  up  to 
heaven,  as  if  to  lift  the  thoughts  of  the  unfortunate  man  to  the 
eternal  Father,  whose  power  alone  could  heal  him,  Jesus  then, 
at  last,  uttered  the  single  word  of  the  popular  dialect — "Eph- 
phatha" — "Be  opened" — and  he  was  perfectly  cured.  An 
injunction  to  keep  the  miracle  jirivate  was  of  no  avail  :  the  whole 
country  was  presently  filled  with  reports  of  it,  and  of  other 
similar  wonders. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  CJtriaf,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  208. 

Feasting  the  Four  Thousand 

In  those  days,  the  crowd  being  again  very  great,  and  not 
having  anything  to  eat,  Jesus  called  his  disciples  to  him,  and 
said  to  them, 

"  I  am  moved  with  sympathy  for  the  crowd  because  they  have 
stayed  with  me  three  days  now,  and  have  nothing  to  eat.  If  I 
should  send  them  away  fasting  to  their  homes,  they  would  faint 
on  the  way  ;  and  some  of  them  have  come  a  long  distance. " 

And  his  disciples  answered  him,  "How  can  any  one  satisfy 
them  with  bread  in  a  desert  ?  " 

And  he  asked  them,  "  How  many  loaves  have  you  ? " 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK      2S7 

And  they  said,  *'  Seven." 

And  he  ordered  the  crowd  to  recline  on  the  ground  ;  and 
having  taken  the  seven  loaves,  and  given  thanks,  he  broke,  and 
gave  to  his  disciples,  that  they  might  place  before  the  people, 
and  they  set  them  before  the  crowd. 

And  they  had  a  few  small  fishes  ;  and  having  blessed  them,  he 
said  to  set  these  before  them  also. 

And  they  ate,  and  were  satisfied,  and  they  picked  up  seven 
baskets  of  broken  pieces  that  were  left  over. 

There  were  about  four  thousand  of  those  who  had  eaten  ;  and 
he  sent  them  away. 

Blark  viii.  1-9.     A  literal  translation  from  the  Greek. 

Difference  between  the  Two  Miraculous  Meals 
.  The  most  noteworthy  difference  seems  to  us  this — that  on 
the  first  occasion,  they  who  were  fed  were  Jews — on  the  second. 
Gentiles.  There  is  an  exquisite  little  trait  in  the  narrative  which 
affords  striking,  though  utterly  undesigned,  evidence  of  it.  In 
referring  to  the  blessing  which  Jesus  spake  over  the  first  meal,  it 
was  noted,  that,  in  strict  accordance  with  Jewish  custom.  He 
only  rendered  thanks  once,  over  the  bread.  But  no  such  custom 
would  rnle  His  conduct  when  dispensing  the  food  to  the  Gentiles  ; 
and  indeed,  His  speaking  the  blessing  only  over  the  bread,  while 
He  was  silent  when  distributing  the  fishes,  would  probably  have 
given  rise  to  misauderstandiug.  Accordingly,  we  find  it  ex- 
pressly stated  that  He  not  only  gave  thanks  over  the  bread,  but 
also  spake  the  blessing  over  the  fishes. 

Xor  should  we,  wlien  marking  such  undesigned  evidences,  omit 
to  notice,  that  on  the  first  occasion,  which  was  immediately  be- 
fore the  Passover,  the  guests  were,  as  three  of  the  Evangelists  ex- 
pressly state,  ranged  "on  the  grass,"  while,  on  the  present  oc- 
casion, which  must  have  been  several  weeks  later,  when  in  the 
East  the  grass  would  be  burnt  up,  we  are  told  by  the  two  Evan- 
gelists that  they  sat  "  on  the  ground." 

The  Life  and  Timet  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol,  II,  p.  65. 

**  You  Cannot  Discern  the  Signs  of  the  Times  '* 
After  dismissing  the  crowds  he  got  into  the  boat,  and  came 
within  the  boundaries  of  Magadan. 


288       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  the  Pharisees  aud  Sadducees  came  and  tried  him  by  ask- 
ing him  to  show  them  a  sign  from  heaven. 

But  he  answering  said  to  them,  "  When  evening  comes,  you 
say,  'Fine  weather,  for  the  sky  is  red,'  And  in  the  morning, 
'  A  storm  to-day  for  the  sky  is  red  and  lowering,' 

"  Hypocrites  ! — The  face  of  the  sky  you  know  how  to  discern, 
but  you  cannot  discern  the  signs  of  the  times  !  A  wicked  and 
adulterous  generation  is  looking  for  a  sign  ;  and  a  sign  shall  not 
be  given  to  it,  except  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonah." 

And  he  went  away  and  left  them. 

And  the  disciples,  coming  to  the  other  side,  forgot  to  take 
loaves. 

And  Jesus  said  to  them,  "Look  out  and  be  on  your  guard 
against  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  ! " 

Aud  they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying,  "  Because  we 
did  not  bring  bread  !  " 

And  Jesus  knowing  this,  said  to  them,  ''Why  do  you  reason 
among  yourselves,  O  little  faith  !  because  you  did  not  bring  the 
loaves'?  Do  you  not  yet  perceive,  nor  remember  the  five  loaves 
of  the  five  thousand,  and  how  many  baskets  you  took  up  ?  Nor 
the  seven  loaves  of  the  four  thousand,  and  how  many  baskets  you 
took  up  ?  How  is  it  that  you  do  not  perceive  that  I  did  not  speak 
to  you  concerning  bread — to  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Phari- 
sees and  Sadducees." 

Then  they  understood  that  he  did  not  say  beware  of  the  leaven 
of  bread,  but  of  the  teaching  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees. 
Matthew  xv.  39  to  xvi.  12.     A  literal  reudering  from  the  Greek, 

The  Sign  Would  Be  Given  Only  Too  Soon 
It  was,  therefore,  no  strange  thing,  when  the  Pharisees  asked 
of  Jesus  "a  sign  from  heaven,"  to  attest  His  claims  and  teaching. 
The  answer  which  He  gave  was  among  the  most  solemu  which 
the  leaders  of  Israel  could  have  heard,  and  He  spake  it  in  deep 
sorrow  of  spirit.  They  had  asked  Him  virtually  for  some  sign 
of  His  Messiahship  ;  some  striking  vindication  from  heaven  of 
His  claims.     It  would  be  given  them  only  too  soon. 

We  have  already  seen,  that  there  was  a  coming  of  Christ  in  His 
Kingdom — a  vindication  of  His  kingly  claim  before  His  apostate 
rebellious  subjects,  when  they  who  would  not  have  Him  to  reign 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK       289 

over  them,  but  betrayed  and  crucified  Him,  would  have  their 
cominouwealth  and  city,  their  polity  and  Temple,  destroyed.  By 
the  lurid  light  of  the  flames  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Sanctuary  were 
the  words  on  the  cross  to  be  read  again.  God  would  vindicate 
His  claims  by  laying  low  the  pride  of  their  rebellion.  The  burn- 
ing of  Jerusalem  was  God's  answer  to  the  Jews'  cry,  ''Away  with 
Him — we  have  no  king  but  Ciesar  !  " — the  thousands  of  crosses  on 
which  the  Romans  hauged  their  captives,  the  terrible  counterpart 
of  the  cross  on  Golgotha. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  69. 

*' Blessed  Art  Thou,  Simon  "—**  Peter '/' 

And  Jesus,  having  come  into  the  region  of  C£esarea  Philippi, 
questioned  his  disciples,  saying,  "Whom  do  men  pronounce  the 
Son  of  man  to  be  !  " 

And  they  said,  "Some,  John  the  Baptist ;  others,  Elijah  ;  and 
others,  Jeremiah,  or  one  of  the  prophets. ' ' 

He  said  to  them,  "  But  whom  do  you  pronounce  me  to  be  ?  " 

And  Simon  Peter  answering  said,  "Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  liviug  God." 

And  Jesus  answering  said  to  him,  "Blessed  art  thou,  Simon 
Bar- Jonah  :  for  flesh  and  blood  did  not  reveal  it  to  thee,  but  my 
Father  in  heaven. 

' '  And  I  also  say  to  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  on  this  rock 
I  will  build  my  church  ;  and  the  gates  of  Hades  shall  not  prevail 
against  it.  And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  :  and  whatever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound 
in  heaven  ;  and  whatever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed 
in  heaven." 

Then  he  charged  the  disciples  that  they  should  say  to  no  one 
that  he  was  the  Christ. 

Matthew  xvi.  13-20.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

The  Very  Christ  of  God 
The  great  confession  of  Peter,  as  the  representative  apostle, 
had  laid  the  foundations  of  the  Church  as  such.     In  contradis- 
tinction  to   the   varying   opinions  of  even   those  best  disposed 
towards  Christ,  it  openly  declared  that  Jesus  was  the  very  Christ 


290       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

of  God,  the  fulfilmeut  of  all  Old  Testament  hope  for  Israel,  and, 

in  Israel,  for  all  mankind. 

Without  this  confession,  Christians  might  have  been  a  Jewish 

sect,  a  religious  party,  or  a  school  of  thought,  and  Jesus  a  teacher, 

rabbi,  reformer,   or  leader  of  men.     But  the  confession  which 

marked  Jesus  as  the  Christ,   also  constituted  His  followers  the 

Church.     It    separated    them,    as    it  separated  Him,    from   all 

around  ;  it  gathered  them  into  one,  even  Christ  ;  and  it  marked 

out  the  foundation  on  which  the  building  made  without  hands 

was  to  rise.     Never  was  illustrative  answer  so  exact  as  this  :  ''On 

this  Eock" — bold,  outstanding,  well-defined,  immovable — "will 

I  build  my  Church," 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oson., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  91. 

The  Elevation  of  the  Son  of  Man 
The  doctrine  of  Jesus  consisted  in  the  elevation  of  the  Son  of 
man,  tha,t  is,  in  the  recognition  on  the  part  of  man,  that  he,  man, 
was  the  son  of  God.  In  his  own  individuality  Jesus  personified 
the  man  who  has  recognised  the  filial  relation  with  God.  He 
asked  his  disciples  whom  men  said  that  he  was — the  Son  of  man  ? 
His  disciples  replied  that  some  took  him  for  John  the  Baptist, 
and  some  for  Elijah.  Then  came  the  question,  ^'- But  whom  say 
ye  that  I  am  ?  "  And  Peter  answered,  "  Thou  art  the  Messiah,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God.''''  Jesus  responded,  ^^  Flesh  and  blood  hath 
not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven  ;  "  mean- 
ing that  Peter  understood,  not  through  faith  iu  human  explana- 
tions, but  because,  feeling  himself  to  be  the  sou  of  God,  he  under- 
stood that  Jesus  was  also  the  Son  of  God.  And  after  having  ex- 
plained to  Peter  that  the  true  faith  is  founded  upon  the  percep- 
tion of  the  filial  relation  to  God,  Jesus  charged  his  other  disciples 
that  they  should  tell  no  man  that  he  was  the  Messiah.  After 
this,  Jesus  told  them  that  although  he  might  suffer  many  things 
and  be  put  to  death,  he,  that  is  his  doctrine,  would  be  trium- 
phantly reestablished. 

My  Religion,  Count  Leo  Tolstoi,  p.  145. 

Foretelling  His  Death 
And  he  began  to  teach  tliem  that  the  Son  of  man  must  suffer 
many  things,  and  be  rejected  of  the  elders,  of  the  chief  priests, 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK      291 

and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  after  three  days  rise  again.  And 
be  spake  that  saying  openly.  And  Peter  took  him  and  began  to 
rebuke  him. 

But  when  he  had  turned  about  and  looked  on  his  disciples,  he 
rebuked  Peter,  saying.  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan ;  for  thou 
savourest  not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  the  things  that  be  of 
men. 

And  when  he  had  called  the  people  unto  him  with  his  disciples 
also,  he  said  unto  them,  Whosoever  will  come  up  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.  For  whoso- 
ever will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it ;  but  whosoever  shall  lose  his 
life  for  my  sake  and  the  gosi3el's,  the  same  shall  save  it. 

For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world 
and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange 
for  his  soul  ? 

Whosoever  therefore  shall  be  ashamed  of  me  and  of  my  words 
in  this  adulterous  and  sinful  generation  ;  of  him  shall  the  Son  of 
man  be  ashamed,  when  he  cometh  in  the  glory  of  his  father  with 
the  holy  angels. 

And  he  said  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  there  shall 
be  some  of  them  that  stand  here,  which  shall  not  taste  of  death 
till  they  have  seen  the  kingdom  of  God  come  with  power. 
Mark  viii.  31  to  ix.  1.     Authorised  Version. 

The  Glass  and  Dye  Works  of  Sidon  and  Tyre 

But  so  far  were  the  Twelve  from  comprehending  such  an  an- 
nouncement, that  Peter,  too  impulsive  to  wait  for  an  opportunity 
of  telling  how  much  it  distressed  him,  could  not  restrain  his  feel- 
ings. True  to  his  character,  he  forthwith  took  Him  by  the  hand, 
and  led  Him  aside,  to  remonstrate  with  Him,  and  dissuade  Him 
from  a  journey  which  would  have  such  results. 

"  God  keep  this  evil  far  from  Thee,  my  Lord  and  Master,"  said 
he.  "You  must  not  let  such  things  happen.  They  will  utterly 
ruin  the  prospects  of  your  kingdom,  for  they  match  ill  with  the 
dignity  of  the  Messiah.  If  there  be  any  danger  such  as  you  fear, 
why  not  use  your  supernatural  power  to  preserve  yourself  and  us. 
It  is  not  to  be  endured  that  you  should  suffer  such  indignities." 

It  was  the  very  same  temptation  as  the  arch  enemy  had  set 
before  Him  in  the  wilderness :  to  employ  His  divine  power  for 


292      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

His  own  advantage,  instead  of  using  it,  with  absolute  self-surren- 
der, only  to  carry  out  the  will  of  His  Father. 

But,  as  ever  before,  it  was  instantly  repelled.  His  quick,  stern 
answer  must  have  made  Peter  recoil  afraid.  "  Get  thee  behind 
me,"  said  He,  "  out  of  my  sight,  thou  tempter  ;  thou  art  laying  a 
snare  for  me  ;  thy  words  shew  that  in  these  things  thou  euterest 
not  into  the  thoughts  and  plans  of  God,  but  considerest  all  things 
only  from  the  ideas  of  men,  with  their  dreams  of  ambition  and 
human  advantage." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  231. 


The  Swblime  Transformation 

For  he  received  from  God  the  Father  honour  and  glory,  when 
there  came  such  a  voice  to  him  from  the  excellent  glory.  This 
is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.  And  this  voice 
which  came  from  heaven  we  heard,  when  we  were  with  him  in  the 
holy  mount. 

2  Peter  i.  17,  18.     Authorised  Version. 

About  eight  days  after  speaking  these  words,  Jesus  went  up  the 
mountain  to  pray,  taking  with  him  Peter,  John,  and  James.  As  he 
was  praying,  the  aspect  of  his  face  was  changed,  and  his  clothing 
became  of  a  glittering  whiteness.  And  all  at  once  two  men  wore 
talking  with  Jesus  ;  they  were  Moses  and  Elijah,  who  appeared  in 
a  glorified  state,  and  spoke  of  his  departure,  which  was  destined 
to  take  place  at  Jerusalem.  Peter  and  his  companions  had  been 
overpowered  by  sleep  bat,  suddenly  becoming  wide  awake,  they 
saw  Jesas  glorified  aud  the  two  men  who  were  standing  beside 
him.  And,  as  Moses  and  Elijah  were  passing  away  from  Jesus, 
Peter  exclaimed  : 

"Sir,  it  is  good  to  be  here;  let  us  make  three  tents,  one  for 
you,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elijah." 

He  did  not  know  what  he  was  saying  ;  aud,  while  he  was  speak- 
ing, a  cloud  came  down  and  enveloped  them ;  and  they  were  afraid, 
as  they  passed  into  the  cloud  ;  and  from  the  cloud  came  a  voice 
which  said  — 

"  This  is  my  Son,  the  Chosen  One  ;  him  you  must  hear." 
Luke  ix.  28-35. 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK       293 

The  disciples,  ou  bearing  this,  fell  on  their  faces,  greatly  afraid. 
But  Jesus  came  and  touched  them,  saying  as  he  did  so  : 
" Eise  up,  and  do  not  be  afraid." 
Slatthew  xvii,  6,  7. 

And  suddenly,  on  looking  round,  they  saw  that  there  was  now 
no  one  with  them  but  Jesus  alone. 

3Iark  ix.   8.     The   Tioentieth   Century   New    Testament  in   3Iodern   English, 
pp.  126,  73,  and  21. 

A  Gentle  Touch  Aroused  Them 
How  long  the  silence  had  lasted,  and  the  last  rays  of  the  cloud  had 
passed,  we  know  not.  Presently,  it  was  a  gentle  touch  that  roused 
them.  It  was  the  hand  of  Jesus,  as  with  words  of  comfort  He  re- 
assured them  :  "  Arise,  and  be  not  afraid."  And  as,  startled,  they 
looked  round  about  them,  they  saw  no  man  save  Jesus  only.  The 
heavenly  visitants  had  gone,  the  last  glow  of  the  light-cloud  had 
faded  away,  the  echoes  of  heaven's  Voice  had  died  out.  It  was 
night,  and  they  were  on  the  mount  with  Jesus,  and  with  Jesus  only. 
Is  it  truth  or  falsehood  ;  was  it  reality  or  vision— or  part  of  both, 
this  Transfiguration  scene  on  Hermon?  One  thing,  at  least,  must 
be  evident :  if  it  be  a  true  narrative,  it  cannot  possibly  describe 
a  merely  subjective  vision  without  objective  reality.  But,  in  that 
case,  it  would  be  not  only  difficult,  but  impossible,  to  separate  one 
part  of  the  narrative — the  appearance  of  Moses  and  Elijah — from 
the  other,  the  Transfiguration  of  the  Lord,  and  to  assign  to  the 
latter  objective  reality,  while  regarding  the  former  as  merely  a 
vision.     But  is  the  account  true  ? 

It  certainly  represents  primitive  tradition,  since  it  is  not  only 
told  by  all  the  three  Evangelists,  but  referred  to  in  2  Peter 
1.  16  to  18,  and  evidently  implied  in  the  words  of  St.  John,  both 
in  his  Gospel,  and  in  the  opening  of  his  First  Epistle.  Few,  if 
any,  would  be  so  bold  as  to  assert  that  the  whole  of  this  history 
had  been  invented  by  the  three  apostles  who  professed  to  have 
been  its  witnesses.  Nor  can  any  adequate  motive  be  imagined 
for  its  invention.  It  could  not  have  been  intended  to  prepare  the 
Jews  for  the  crucifixion  of  the  Messiah,  since  it  was  to  be  kept  a 
secret  till  after  His  resurrection. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  98. 


294      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Chosen  Three,  on  Mowntain  Height 

The  choseu  three,  on  mouutaiu  height, 

While  Jesus  bowed  in  prayer, 
Beheld  his  vesture  glow  with  light, 

His  face  shiue  wondrous  fair. 

And  lo  !  with  the  transfigured  Lord, 

Leader  and  seer  they  saw  ; 
With  Carmel's  hoary  prophet  stood 

The  giver  of  the  law. 

From  the  low-bending  cloud  above, 

Whence  radiant  brightness  shone, 
Spake  out  the  Father's  voice  of  love, 

"Hear  my  belov&d  Son  !  " 

The  Transfiguration,  written  for  the  Methodist  Hymnal  by  David  H.  Ela. 
Eymn  Studies,  Rev.  Charles  S.  Nutter,  p.  82. 

**How  Is  It  That  Elijah  Must  First  Come?" 
And  as  they  were  coming  dowu  from  the  mouutaiu,  he  charged 
them  that  they  should  relate  to  no  oue  what  they  had  seen,  until 
the  Sou  of  mau  should  be  riseu  from  among  the  dead.  Aud  they 
kept  the  sayiug  amoug  themselves,  questioning,  ''What  is  the 
rising  from  the  dead?" 

Aud  they  asked  him,  saying,  "The  scribes  say  that  Elijah  must 
come  first?" 

Aud  he  answering  said  to  them,  "Elijah  indeed  comes  first, 
and  restores  all  things :  and  how  it  has  been  written  of  the  Son 
of  man,  that  he  should  suffer  many  things  and  be  set  at  nought? 
But  I  say  to  you,  that  Elijah  has  come,  and  they  did  to  him 
whatever  they  pleased,  just  as  it  has  beeu  written  of  him." 

3Iark  ix.  9-13.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

"I  Believe,  Lord,  Help  My  Unbelief  !*♦ 
And  having  come  to  the  disciples  he  saw  a  great  crowd  around 
them,  and  scribes  arguing  with  them.     And  at  once  all  the  crowd 
were  greatly  amazed  at  seeing  him  aud  running  up,  they  saluted 
him. 

Aud  he  asked  them,  "What  are  you  discussing  with  them  ?  " 
And  one  out  of  the  crowd  answered  :   "Teacher,  I  brought  my 
son  with  a  dumb  spirit  to  thee,  aud  wherever  it  seizes  him,  it 
dashes  him  down ;  and  he  foams  and  gnashes  his  teeth,  and  is 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK      205 

withering  away.  And  I  spoke  to  thy  disciples  that  they  might 
cast  it  out ;  but  they  had  not  the  power," 

And  Jesus  replied  :  ''  O  unbelieving  generation,  how  long  shall 
I  be  with  you?  How  long  must  I  bear  with  you?  Bring  him 
to  me ! " 

And  they  brought  him  to  Jesus,  and  when  he  saw  him,  the 
sj>irit  immediately  threw  him  into  convulsions  and  having  fallen 
on  the  ground  he  rolled  and  foamed.  And  Jesus  asked  the  father, 
"  How  long  a  time  is  it  that  it  has  been  thus  with  him  !  " 

And  he  said,  "From  childhood.  And  often  it  throws  him  info 
the  fire  and  into  the  waters  to  destroy  him  ;  but  if  thou  art  able 
to  help  us,  take  pity  on  us  ! " 

And  Jesus  said  to  him,  "If  thou  art  able  to  believe!  All 
things  are  possible  to  him  that  believes." 

And  instantly  the  father  of  the  child  said  with  tears,  "I  be- 
lieve ;  Lord,  help  my  unbelief  !  " 

And  Jesus,  seeing  a  crowd  come  running  together,  rebuked  the 
unclean  spirit,  saying  to  it,  "Dumb  and  deaf  spirit,  I  command 
thee,  come  out  of  him,  and  go  into  him  no  more  !  " 

And  having  cried  out,  and  thrown  him  into  violent  convulsions, 
it  came  out ;  and  the  boy  became  as  if  dead  ;  so  that  many  said 
that  he  was  dead. 

But  Jesns  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  lifted  him  and  he  got  up. 

And  when  he  had  come  into  the  house,  his  disciples  asked  him 
aside,  "  Why  were  we  not  able  to  cast  it  out?  " 

And  he  said  to  them,  "This  kind  can  go  out  by  nothing  but 
prayer." 

Mark  ix.  14-29.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

With  Strong  and  Gentle  Hand 
It  was  a  lesson,  of  which  the  reality  was  attested  by  the  hold 
which  it  took  on  the  man's  whole  nature.  While  by  one  great 
outgoing  of  his  soul,  he  overleapt  all,  to  lay  hold  on  the  one  fact 
set  before  him,  he  felt  all  the  more  the  dark  chasm  of  unbelief 
behind  him,  together  with  the  possibility,  the  source  of  faith. 
Thus  through  the  felt  unbelief  of  faith  he  attained  true  faith  by 
laying  hold  on  the  divine  Saviour,  when  he  cried  out  and  said  : 
"Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  Thou  mine  unbelief."  These  words  have 
remained  historic,  marking  all  true  faith,  which,  even  as  faith, 


296      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

is  conscious  of,  nay  implies,  unbelief,  but  brings  it  to  Christ  for 
help.  The  boldest  leap  of  faith  and  the  timid  resting  at  His 
feet,  the  first  beginning  and  the  last  ending  of  faith,  have  alike 
this  as  their  watchword. 

Such  cry  could  not  be,  and  never  is,  unheard.  It  was  real 
demoniac  influence  which,  continuing  with  this  man  from  child- 
hood onwards,  had  well-nigh  crushed  all  moral  individuality  in 
him.  In  his  many  lucid  intervals  these  many  years,  since  he  had 
grown  from  a  child  into  a  youth,  he  had  never  sought  to  shake 
off  the  yoke  and  regain  his  moral  individuality,  nor  would  he 
even  now  have  come,  if  his  father  had  not  brought  him.  If  auy, 
this  narrative  shows  the  view  which  the  Gospels  and  Jesus  took 
of  what  are  described  as  the  "  demonised."  It  was  a  reality,  and 
not  accommodation  to  Jewish  views,  when,  as  He  saw  "the  mul- 
titude running  together.  He  rebuked  the  unclean  spirit,  saying  to 
him  :  Dumb  and  deaf  spirit,  I  command  thee,  come  out  of  him, 
and  no  more  come  into  him." 

Another  and  a  more  violent  paroxysm,  so  that  the  bystanders 
almost  thought  him  dead.  But  the  unclean  spirit  had  come  out 
of  him.  And  with  a  strong,  gentle  hand  the  Saviour  lifted  him, 
and  with  loviug  gesture  delivered  him  to  his  father. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  108. 

** Give  to  Them  f or  Me  and  Thee** 

And  they  having  come  to  Capernaum,  those  who  collected  the 
half  shekel  came  to  Peter,  and  said,  "Does  not  your  teacher  pay 
the  half-shekel?  " 

He  said,  "Yes." 

And  when  he  came  into  the  house,  Jesus  spoke  first  to  him, 
saying,  "What  dost  thou  think,  Simon,  the  kings  of  the  earth, 
from  whom  do  they  receive  custom  or  tribute  %  from  their  sons,  or 
from  strangers  %  ' ' 

Peter  says  to  him,  "From  the  strangers."  Jesus  said  to  him, 
"Then  indeed  the  sous  are  free.  But,  in  order  that  we  may  not 
offend  them,  go  to  the  lake,  cast  a  hook,  and  take  off  the  fish 
comiug  up  first ;  and  haviug  opened  its  mouth,  thou  shalt  find  a 
shekel  :  take  that  and  give  to  them  for  me  and  thee." 
3Iatthew  xvii.  24-27.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK      297 

**Lest  "We  Give  Offence'* 

He  told  Peter  to  go  fishiug  aud  raise  the  tax  in  that  way  from 
the  money  the  fish  would  bring ;  but  he  explained  that  in  con- 
senting to  this  he  was  moved  by  expediency  alone  :  "Lest  we  give 
offence."     .     .     . 

The  fact  that  the  spies  sent- out  against  him  hit  upon  this  par- 
ticular question,  "Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  unto  Caesar,"  in 
order  to  "take  hold  of  his  words,  that  they  might  deliver  him 
unto  the  governor,"  is  eloquent  of  the  general  idea  as  to  what  his 
attitude  was  toward  Ceesars  and  Coesarisms.  Wherefore  we  con- 
cluded that  as  it  happened  to  those  ancient  adversaries  of  his 
who  "took  counsel  how  they  might  entangle  him  in  his  talk,"  so 
also  with  the  quietists  in  every  age  since  ;  in  their  efforts  to  wrest 
The  Carpenter  from  his  basic  hold  in  the  economic,  they  can  not 
"take  hold  of  his  words." 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  131. 

A  Sermon  on  Humility 

In  that  hour  came  the  disciples  unto  Jesus,  saying.  Who  then  is 
greatest  in  the  kiugdom  of  heaven  ? 

And  he  called  to  him  a  little  child,  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of 
them,  and  said. 

Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Except  ye  turn,  and  become  as  little 
children,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Whosoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the 
same  is  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  whoso  shall 
receive  one  such  little  child  in  my  name  receiveth  me. 

Matthew  xviii.  1-5. 

Whosoever  shall  receive  this  little  child  in  my  name  receiveth 
me  :  and  whosoever  shall  receive  me  receiveth  him  that  sent  me  : 
for  he  that  is  least  among  you  all,  the  same  is  great. 

Luke  ix.  48. 

John  said  unto  him,  Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out  devils  in 
thy  name  :  and  we  forbade  him,  because  he  followed  not  us. 

But  Jesus  said,  Forbid  him  not :  for  there  is  no  man  which 
shall  do  a  mighty  work  in  my  name,  and  be  able  quickly  to  speak 
evil  of  me.     For  he  that  is  not  against  us  is  for  us. 


208      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

For  whosoever  shall  give  you  a  cup  of  water  to  driuk,  because 
ye  are  Christ's,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his 
reward.  And  whosoever  shall  cause  one  of  these  little  ones  to 
stumble,  it  were  better  for  him  if  a  great  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck,  and  he  were  cast  into  the  sea. 
3Iark  ix.  38-42. 

See  that  ye  despise  not  cue  of  these  little  ones  :  for  I  say  unto 
you,  that  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

Eveu  so  it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven, 
that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish. 
Matthew  xviii.  10,  11  and  14.     Revised  Version. 

A  Talk  on  Forgiveness 

And  if  thy  brother  sin  against  thee,  go,  shew  him  his  fault 
between  thee  and  him  alone :  if  he  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained 
thy  brother. 

But  if  he  hear  thee  not,  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more,  that 
at  the  mouth  of  two  witnesses  or  three,  every  word  may  be  estab- 
lished. And  if  he  refuse  to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto  the  church  : 
aud  if  he  refuse  to  hear  the  church  also,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as 
the  Gentile  and  the  publican. 

Verily  I  say  unto  you.  What  things  soever  ye  shall  bind  on 
earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  what  things  soever  ye  shall 
loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven. 

Again  I  say  unto  you,  that  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  ou  earth 
as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  of  them 
of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  For  where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  in  my  uame,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them. 

Then  came  Peter,  and  said  to  him,  Lord,  how  oft  shall  my 
brother  sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him?  until  seven  times? 
Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until  seven  times  ; 
but,  Until  seventy  times  seven. 

Therefore  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened  unto  a  certain 
king,  which  would  make  a  reckoning  with  his  servants.  Aud 
when  he  had  begun  to  reckon,  one  was  brought  to  him,  which 
owed  him  ten  thousand  talents. 

But  forasmuch  as  he  had  not  wherewith  to  pay,  his  lord  com- 


A  FUGITIVE  WITH  HIS  LITTLE  FLOCK      299 

mauded  hiin  to  be  sold  and  bis  wife,  aud  children,  aud  all  that 
he  had,  and  payment  be  made. 

The  servant  therefore  fell  down  and  worshiped  him,  saying. 
Lord,  have  patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee  all. 

And  the  lord  of  that  servant,  being  moved  with  compassion, 
released  him,  and  forgave  him  the  debt. 

But  that  servant  went  out,  and  found  one  of  his  fellow-servants, 
which  owed  him  a  hundred  pence  :  and  he  laid  hold  on  him,  and 
took  him  by  the  throat,  saying,  Pay  what  thou  owest. 

So  his  fellow-servant  fell  down  and  besought  him,  saying. 
Have  patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  thee.  And  he  would  not ; 
but  went  and  cast  him  into  prison,  till  he  should  pay  that  which 
was  due. 

So  when  his  fellow-servants  saw  what  was  done,  they  were  ex- 
ceeding sorry,  aud  came  and  told  unto  their  lord  all  that  was 
done. 

Then  his  lord  called  him  unto  him,  aud  saith  to  him,  Thou  wicked 
servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because  thou  besoughtest 
me :  shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had  mercy  on  thy  fellow-serv- 
ant, even  as  I  had  mercy  on  thee  ? 

And  his  lord  was  wroth,  aud  delivered  him  to  the  tormentors, 
till  he  should  pay  all  that  was  due. 

So  shall  also  my  heavenly  Father  do  unto  you,  if  ye  forgive  not 
every  one  his  brother  from  your  hearts. 
Matthew  xviii.  15-35.     Revised  Version. 

This  Spirit  Is  the  Salt  of  the  Soul 
We  see  with  what  trusting  confidence  the  disciples  questioned 
him  ;   with  what  gentleness  he  taught,   corrected,   and  exalted 
them. 

N^ever  before  had  man  heard  such  lessons,  or  been  incited  to 
such  virtues.  It  was  thus  in  the  midst  of  a  world  given  up  to  all 
forms  of  pride,  divisions,  hatreds,  oppression,  aud  violence,  that 
Jesus  impressed  on  the  souls  of  his  disciples  the  first  features  of  a 
new  kingdom,  based  on  humility  and  gentleness,  pity  and  forgive- 
ness, respect  and  reverence  for  all  the  weak  and  the  oppressed. 
Such  a  design  requires  some  other  spirit  than  the  corrupted  spirit 
of  man,  and  explains  the  mysterious  words  which  conclude  the 
discourse : 


300       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

''Salt  is  good,"  it  preserves,  it  prevents  decay.  Have  in  you 
the  Spirit  whicli  is  the  salt  of  the  soul  :  "Do  not  let  it  lose  its 
savour."  It  will  give  you  peace.  "Have  peace  one  with  an- 
other." This  was  the  last  discourse  of  Jesus  at  Capernaum, 
spoken  on  the  eve  of  his  quitting  Galilee,  and  setting  out  for 
Jerusalem. 

Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  Father  Didon,  Vol.  I,  p.  492. 


XXIII 

HARVEST  HOME  WEEK  IN  JERUSALEM 

Never  man  spake  like  this  man. 

— John  vii.  46.     Authorised  Version. 

Their  Thanksgiving  Week 

The  harvest  work  was  over.  The  golden  grain  had  bowed 
before  the  sickle.  The  autumnal  grape  had  yielded  up  its  juice, 
by  its  broken  body  and  the  poured  libation  of  its  blood,  prophe- 
sying of  that  body  and  that  blood  which  in  God's  harvest  is  given 
for  the  life  of  the  world.  From  a  thousand  fields  and  vineyards 
the  joyous  Israelites,  marching  in  companies  and  caravans  over 
the  intervening  hills,  were  assembling  in  their  holy  city  to  cele- 
brate their  autumnal  feast. 

For  Thanksgiving  day  did  not  originate  with  the  Puritans. 
It  was  borrowed,  whether  consciously  or  not,  from  the  Hebraic 
commonwealth.  To  that  commonwealth,  indeed,  the  world  is  in- 
debted for  many  an  idea  for  which  undue  credit  has  been  given 
to  New  England.  Between  this  feast  of  Puritanism  and  that  of  the 
Orient  there  was  this  difference — one  lasts  but  a  day,  the  other 
consecrated  a  full  week  to  festivity  and  rejoicing. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p,  333. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles 
The  feast  of  Tabernacles  was  one  of  the  three  great  feasts  which 
every  Jew  was  required  to  attend.  It  was  held  from  the  fifteenth 
of  Tisri  to  the  twenty-second,  the  first  and  last  days  being  Sab- 
baths— the  latter  "the  great  day  of  the  feast."  It  commemo- 
rated, in  part,  the  tent-life  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness,  but  was 
also,  still  more,  a  feast  of  thanks  for  the  harvest,  which  was  now 
ended  even  in  the  orchards  and  vineyards.  Every  one  lived  in 
booths  of  living  twigs,  branches  of  olive,  myrtle,  fir,  and  the 
like, — raised  in  the  open  courts  of  houses,  on  roofs,  and  in  the 
streets  and  open  places  of  the  city.     All  carried  in  the  left  hand 

301 


802      THE  STORr-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

a  citron,   and  in  the  right  the  lulah — a  branch  of  palm  woven 
round  with  willow  and  myrtle. 

On  each  of  the  seven  feast  days  the  priests  went  out  with  music, 
and  the  choir  of  Levites,  amidst  the  shouts  of  vast  multitudes, 
to  draw  water  in  a  golden  vessel,  from  the  spring  of  Siloah ;  to 
be  poured  out  at  the  time  of  the  morning  offering  as  a  libation, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  great  altar,  amidst  gieat  joy,  singing  and 
dancing,  such  as  was  not  all  the  year  besides.  On  the  evening 
of  the  first  day  a  grand  illumination,  from  huge  candelabra 
which  shed  light  far  and  near  over  the  city,  began  in  the  Court 
of  the  Women,  and  torch  dances  of  men  were  kept  up,  in  the 
court ;  with  music  and  songs,  till  the  Temple  gates  closed. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  269. 

**If  You  Can  Do  Such  Great  Things,  Prove  It  to  the  World  !** 

Now  the  feast  of  the  Jews,  the  feast  of  tabernacles,  was  at  hand. 

His  brethren  therefore  said  unto  him,  Depart  hence,  and  go 
into  Judea,  that  thy  disciples  also  may  behold  thy  works  which 
thou  doest.  For  no  man  doeth  anything  in  secret,  and  himself 
seeketh  to  be  known  openly.  If  thou  doest  these  things,  manifest 
thyself  to  the  world. 

For  even  his  brethren  do  not  believe  on  him. 

Jesus  therefore  saith  unto  them.  My  time  is  not  yet  come  ;  but 
your  time  is  always  ready.  The  world  cannot  hate  you  ;  but  me 
it  hateth,  because  I  testify  of  it,  that  its  works  are  evil. 

Go  ye  up  unto  the  feast :  I  go  not  up  yet  unto  the  feast ;  be- 
cause my  time  is  not  yet  fulfilled. 

And  having  said  these  things  unto  them,  he  abode  still  in 
Galilee. 

John  vii.  2-9.     Revised  Version. 

The  Authorities  on  the  Lookout  for  Him 
The  Jewish  authorities  kept  looking  for  Jesus,  for  they  had 
counted  on  His  attending  the  great  national  holiday,  and  thus 
coming  within  their  reach,  but,  to  their  disappointment.  He  ap- 
peared not  to  be  in  Jerusalem.  So  their  officers  reported.  His 
absence  had,  indeed,  been  noted  by  the  multitude,  and  every- 
where He  was  the  subject  of  conversation  aud  discussion. 
The  rabbis  and  higher  Temple  dignitaries  had  shown  them 


HARVEST  HOME  WEEK  IN  JERUSALEM      303 

selves  so  hostile  to  Him  that  no  one  dared  to  mention  His  name 
except  in  whispers,  for  fear  of  excommunication,  but  He  was 
more  or  less  the  one  engrossing  topic  of  the  bazaars  and  the 
booths  of  the  feast.  Opinions  were  divided.  Some,  who  judged 
for  themselves,  maintained  that  He  was  a  good  man,  and  that  it 
would  be  well  for  all  to  follow  what  He  taught ;  others,  and 
they,  no  doubt,  the  great  majority,  who  took  their  opinions  from 
their  religious  leaders,  hotly  and  loudly  denounced  Him  as  un- 
safe and  dangerous  ;  a  breaker  of  the  Sabbath  ;  for  had  He  not, 
on  His  last  visit,  healed  a  blind  man  on  the  holy  day  ? 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p.  269, 

**  You*tc  Mad  !    Who's  Trying  to  Kill  You  ?  ** 

But  when  his  brethren  were  gone  up  unto  the  feast,  then  went 
he  also  up,  not  publicly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret. 

The  Jews  therefore  sought  him  at  the  feast,  and  said,  Where  is  he? 

And  there  was  much  murmuring  among  the  multitudes  con- 
cerning him  :  some  said,  He  is  a  good  man  ;  others  said,  Not  so, 
but  he  leadeth  the  multitudes  astray,  Howbeit  no  man  spake 
openly  of  him  for  fear  of  the  Jews. 

But  when  it  was  now  the  midst  of  the  feast  Jesus  went  up  into 
the  temple,  and  taught. 

The  Jews  therefore  marveled,  saying,  How  knoweth  this  man 
letters,  never  having  learned? 

Jesus  therefore  answered  them,  and  said.  My  teaching  is  not 
mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.  If  any  man  willeth  to  do  his  will, 
he  shall  know  of  the  teaching,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether 
I  speak  from  myself.  He  that  speaketh  from  himself  seeketh 
his  own  glory  :  but  he  that  seeketh  the  glory  of  him  that  sent 
me,  the  same  is  true,  and  no  unrighteousness  is  in  him.  Did  not 
Moses  give  you  the  law,  and  yet  none  of  you  doeth  the  law  ? 
Why  seek  ye  to  kill  me '? 

The  multitude  answered,  Thou  hast  a  devil  :  who  seeketh  to 
kill  thee? 

Some  therefore  of  them  of  Jerusalem  said.  Is  not  this  he  whom 
they  seek  to  kill?  And  lo,  he  speaketh  openly,  and  they  say 
nothing  unto  him.  Can  it  be  that  the  rulers  indeed  know  that 
this  is  the  Christ  ?  Howbeit  we  know  this  man  whence  he  is  : 
but  when  the  Christ  cometh,  no  one  knoweth  whence  he  is. 


304      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Jesus  therefore  cried  in  the  temple,  teaching  and  saying, 
Ye  both  know  me,  and  know  whence  I  am  ;  and  I  am  not  come 
of  myself,  but  he  that  sent  me  is  true,  whom  ye  know  not.  I 
know  him ;  because  I  am  from  him,  because  his  hour  was  not 
yet  come.  But  of  the  multitude  many  believed  on  him  ;  and 
they  said.  When  Christ  shall  come,  will  he  do  more  signs  than 
those  which  this  man  hath  done  ? 

The  Pharisees  heard  the  multitude  murmuring  these  things 
concerning  him ;  and  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  sent 
officers  to  take  him. 

John  vii.  10-20  ;  25-32.     Revised  Version. 

*' Thou  Hast  a  Devil!*' 
A  general  disclaimer,  a  cry  "Thou  hast  a  demon"  (art  pos- 
sessed),— "who  seeks  to  kill  Thee?"  here  broke  in  upon  the 
Speaker.  But  He  would  not  be  interrupted,  and  continued  :  "  One 
work  I  did,  aud  all  you  wonder  on  account  of  it" — referring  to 
His  healing  on  the  Sabbath,  and  their  utter  inability  to  under- 
stand His  conduct.  Well,  then,  Moses  was  a  messenger  of  God, 
and  I  am  sent  of  God.  Moses  gave  the  law  of  circumcision — not, 
indeed,  that  it  was  of  his  authority,  but  had  long  before  been 
God-given — and,  to  observe  this  law,  no  one  hesitated  to  break 
the  Sabbath,  since,  according  to  rabbinic  principle,  a  positive 
ordinauce  superseded  a  negative.  And  yet,  when  Christ,  as  sent 
from  God,  made  a  man  every  whit  whole  on  the  Sabbath  ("made 
a  whole  man  sound")  they  were  angry  with  Him  !  Every  argu- 
ment which  might  have  been  urged  in  favour  of  the  postponement 
of  Christ's  healing  to  a  week-day,  would  equally  apply  to  that 
of  circumcision  ;  while  every  reason  that  could  be  urged  in  favour 
of  Sabbath  circumcision,  would  tell  an  hundredfold  in  favour  of 
the  act  of  Christ.  Oh,  then,  let  them  not  judge  after  the  mere 
outward  appearance,  but  "judge  the  right  judgment." 

The  Life  and   Times  of  Jesus  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon,, 
D.  D.,  Pli.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  153. 

The  Great  Day  of  the  Feast 
Now  on  the  last  day,  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and 
cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink. 
He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  scripture  hath  said,  from  within 
him  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water. 


HARVEST  HOME  WEEK  IN  JERUSALEM       305 

But  this  spake  lie  of  the  Sj)irit,  which  they  that  believed  on 
him  were  to  receive  :  for  the  SjDirit  was  not  yet  given  ;  because 
Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified. 

Some  of  the  multitude  therefore,  when  they  heard  these  words, 
said,  This  is  of  a  truth  the  prophet. 

Others  said,  This  is  the  Christ. 

But  some  said.  What,  doth  Christ  come  out  of  Galilee  ?  Hath 
not  the  scripture  said  that  the  Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David, 
and  from  Bethlehem,  the  village  where  David  was? 

So  there  arose  a  division  in  the  multitude  because  of  him.  And 
some  of  them  would  have  taken  him  ;  but  no  man  laid  hands  on 
him. 

The  officers  therefore  came  to  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees ; 
and  they  said  unto  them.  Why  did  ye  not  bring  him  1 

The  officers  answered,  Never  man  so  spake. 

The  Pharisees  therefore  answered  them.  Are  ye  also  led  astray  ? 
Hath  any  of  the  rulers  believed  on  him,  or  of  the  Pharisees  ?  But 
this  multitude  which  knoweth  not  the  law  are  accursed. 

Nicodemus  saith  unto  them  (he  that  came  to  him  before,  being- 
one  of  them),  Doth  our  law  judge  a  man,  except  it  first  hear  from 
himself  and  know  what  he  doeth  ? 

They  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee  ? 
Search,  and  see  that  out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet. 
John  vii.  37-52.     Revised  Version,  using  one  Marginal. 

One  Faint  Voice  in  His  Defence 

One  faint  voice  only  was  heard  in  the  council  in  hesitating  de- 
fence of  Jesus.  It  was  that  of  Nicodemus — His  visitor  by  night 
on  His  first  appearance. 

"I  know,  sirs,  you  are  zealous  for  the  Law,  and  rightly  con- 
demn those  who  are  ignorant  of  it.  But  does  the  Law  sanction 
our  thus  condemning  a  man  before  it  has  heard  him,  and  found 
exactly  what  he  had  done  !  " 

He  had  not  moral  courage  to  take  a  side,  but  could  not  with- 
hold a  timid  word.  Like  all  weak  men,  he  found  little  favour  for 
his  faint-hearted  caution. 

"Are  you,  also,  like  Jesus,  out  of  Galilee,"  they  asked,  "  that 
you  believe  in  Him  ;  only  ignorant  Galileans  do  so  1  Search  the 
Scriptures,  and  you  will  see  that  no  Galilean  was  ever  inspired  as 


SOG      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

a  prophet  by  God  :  the  race  is  despised  of  the  Highest,  and  is  it 
likely  it  should  give  Jerusalem  the  Messiah!  " 

In  their  blind  rage  they  forgot  that,  at  least,  Jonah,  and  Hosea, 
and  Nahum,  were  Galileans,  and  they  ignored  the  fact  that  if  the 
followers  of  Jesus  were  mostly  from  the  illiterate  north,  He  had 
also  not  a  few  even  from  the  sous  of  bigoted  Jerusalem. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D,  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  277. 

Thousands  "Were  Chained  with  Awe  at  His  Words 

We  at  once  made  our  way,  but  with  difficulty,  towards  the 
spot  where  we  had  discovered  Him.  The  rumor  that  the  Christ 
was  in  the  Temple  rapidly  spread,  and  the  whole  multitude 
pressed  towards  the  same  point.  At  length  we  attained  our  ob- 
ject so  as  to  get  within  a  few  feet  of  Him.     .     .     . 

Every  voice  was  hushed,  as  that  of  Jesus  rose  clear  and  sweet, 
and  thrilling  like  a  celestial  clarion  speaking.  And  he  preached 
.  .  .  a  sermon  so  full  of  wisdom,  of  love  to  man,  of  love  to 
God,  of  knowledge  of  our  hearts,  of  divine  and  convincing  power, 
that  thousands  wej)t ;  thousands  were  chained  to  the  spot  with 
awe  and  delight,  and  all  were  moved  as  if  an  angel  had  ad- 
dressed them.     They  cried,  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  man  !  " 

When  He  had  ended,  the  priests,  seeing  that  He  had  carried 
the  hearts  of  all  the  people,  were  greatly  enraged. 

The  Prince  of  the  House  of  David,  Rev.  J.  H.  lugrabam,  p.  257. 

The  Woman  Caught  in  Adultery 

And  they  went  every  man  unto  his  own  house  :  but  Jesus  went 
unto  the  mount  of  Olives.  And  early  in  the  morning  he  came 
again  into  the  temple,  and  all  the  people  came  unto  him  ;  and  he 
sat  down,  and  taught  them. 

And  the  scribes  and  the  Pharisees  bring  a  woman  taken  in 
adultery ;  and  having  set  her  in  the  midst,  they  say  unto  him. 
Master,  this  woman  hath  been  taken  in  adultery,  in  the  very  act. 
Now  in  the  law  Moses  commanded  us  to  stone  such  :  what  then 
sayest  thou  of  her?  And  this  they  said,  tempting  him,  that  they 
might  have  whereof  to  accuse  him. 

But  Jesus  stooped  down,  and  with  his  finger  wrote  on  the 
ground. 


HARVEST  HOME  WEEK  IN  JERUSALEM      307 

But  when  they  continued  asking  bim,  be  lifted  up  bimself,  and 
said  unto  tbem,  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  bim  first 
cast  a  stone  at  her. 

And  again  be  stooped  down,  and  with  his  finger  wrote  on  the 
ground. 

And  they,  when  they  heard  it,  went  out  one  by  one,  beginning 
from  the  eldest,  even  unto  the  last :  and  Jesus  was  left  alone,  and 
the  woman,  where  she  was,  in  the  midst. 

And  Jesus  lifted  up  bimself,  and  said  unto  her,  Woman,  where 
are  they,  did  no  man  condemn  theef 

And  sbe  said.  No  man,  Lord. 

And  Jesus  said,  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee  :  go  thy  way  ;  from 
henceforth  sin  no  more. 

John  vii.  53  to  viii.  11.     Revised  Version. 

Not  Their  Business  to  Accuse  Her 
A  large  number  of  people  had  already  gathered  round  Jesus, 
when  a  commotion  was  seen  in  the  Court  of  the  Women,  where  He 
had  sat  down  to  teach.  A  woman  of  the  humbler  class  had  been 
guiltj'  of  immorality,  and  the  scribes,  on  the  moment,  saw  in  her 
sin  a  possible  snare  for  the  hated  Galilean.  It  was  not  their 
business,  but  that  of  her  husband,  to  accuse  her  ;  nor  could  she 
be  legally  punished,  except  by  divorce,  if  he,  himself,  were  not  a 
man  of  pure  life.  It  was  the  custom,  however,  in  cases  of  diffi- 
culty, to  consult  a  famous  rabbi,  and  advantage  was  taken  of  this, 
to  entrap  Jesus,  if  possible,  by  asking  Him  to  [act  as  judge  in]  the 
case.  If  He  condemned  her,  and  insisted  that  she  should  be  stoned 
to  death,  it  would  injure  Him  in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  for  the 
Law,  in  this  particular,  had  long  been  obsolete,  from  the  very 
commonness  of  the  offense.  If,  on  the  other  baud,  He  simply 
dismissed  her,  they  could  charge  Him  with  slighting  the  Law,  for 
it  was  still  formally  binding.  To  condemn  her  to  death,  would, 
moreover,  bring  Him  under  the  Roman  law,  as  an  invasion  of  the 
riglit  of  the  governor. 

Leading  forward  their  trembling  prisoner — unveiled,  and  ex- 
posed before  the  crowd  of  men — the  bitterest  degradation  to  an 
Eastern  woman — they  set  her  before  Jesus,  and  asked  with  feigned 
humility  : 

''Teacher,  this  woman  has  been  guilty  of  sin.     Now  Moses,  in 


308      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

the  Law,  charged  us  that  such  should  be  stoned.  "What  is  your 
opiuiou  ? "     .     .     . 

Stooping  down,  therefore,  at  once  to  hide  the  blush  He  could 
not  prevent,  and  to  show  that  He  would  have  nothing  to  do  M'ith 
such  a  matter.  He  began  to  write  on  the  dust  before  Him — most 
likely  the  very  words  He  was  presently  to  utter.  Had  they 
chosen  to  read  them,  they  might  have  spared  themselves  the  open 
exposure  that  followed.  But  they  were  too  occupied  with  their 
plot  to  read  the  warning,  and  again  and  again  repeated  the  ques- 
tion, to  force  Him  to  answer.  At  last,  raising  His  face  for  a 
moment  and  looking  straight  at  them,  He  said  — 

"Let  him,  among  you,  who  is  free  from  sin  of  a  like  kind,  cast 
the  first  stone  at  her,  as  is  required  of  the  chief  witness,  by  Moses." 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  279. 

Why  Did  He  Write  upon  the  Grownd  ? 

In  narrating  the  scene  with  the  "  Woman  Taken  in  Adultery," 
a  modern  biographer  suggests  that  Jesus  stooped  down  and  wrote 
upon  the  ground  to  avert  his  eyes,  in  order  not  to  stain  his  maid- 
enly soul  with  a  sight  of  the  woman.  The  feminist  note,  and  of 
a  piece  with  the  sentimentalism  that  has  gushed  so  copiously 
about  this  personage.  A  man  does  not  cough  and  stutter  in  the 
presence  of  fleshly  facts.  Far  more  probably  the  reason  why 
Jesus  [fastened  his  face  on]  the  ground  was  in  order  to  conceal  a 
countenance  that  was  perilously  near  to  bubbling  over. 

A  coterie  of  "saints"  had  been  thinking  to  bugle  abroad  their 
own  stainlessness  by  zeal  against  this  woman — a  showpiece  of  the 
chronic  hj'pocrisy  which  caste  engenders  when  framed  on  lines 
of  Puritanism.  Jesus  punctures  their  solemn  pretentiousness. 
The  ridiculous  plight  to  which  they  were  reduced,  and  the  spec- 
tacle as  they  slouched  away  one  by  one,  was  indeed  something  to 
awake  homeric  laughter. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  122. 

His  Words  Went  to  Their  Consciences 

It  was  an  age  of  deep  immorality,  and  the  words  of  Jesus  went 

to  their  consciences.     He  again  stooped  and  began  to  write,  as 

soon  as  He  had  spoken,  perhaps  to  remind  them  how  sin,  when 

followed  by  penitence,  is  effaced  for  ever,  like  characters  written 


HARVEST  HOME  WEEK  IN  JERUSALEiM      309 

in  dust.  Meanwhile,  their  own  bosoms  became  their  judges. 
One  after  another,  beginning  at  the  oldest  among  them,  moved 
off,  to  the  very  last,  and  Jesus  was  left  alone,  with  the  woman,  in 
the  midst  of  the  crowd. 

Rising  once  more,  and  finding  only  the  woman  left,  He  asked 
her  :  "  Woman,  where  are  thine  accusers  ?  Did  no  one  condemn 
thee,  by  casting  a  stone  at  theel " 

"No  one.  Lord." 

"Neither,"  said  He,  "shall  I.  I  come  not  to  condemn,  but  to 
save.  I  am  no  criminal  judge,  either  to  sentence  or  acquit.  Go, 
repent  of  thy  guilt,  and  sin  no  more." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunniugbam  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  280. 

"The  Light  of  the  World" 

Again  therefore  Jesus  spake  unto  them,  saying,  I  am  the  light 
of  the  world  :  he  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk  in  the  dark- 
ness, but  shall  have  the  light  of  life. 

The  Pharisees  therefore  said  unto  him,  Thou  bearest  witness  of 
thyself;  thy  witness  is  not  true. 

Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Even  if  I  bear  witness  of 
myself,  my  witness  is  true;  for  I  know  whence  I  came,  and 
whither  I  go  ;  but  ye  know  not  whence  I  came,  or  whither  I  go. 
Ye  judge  after  the  flesh  ;  I  judge  no  man.  Yea  and  if  I  judge, 
my  judgment  is  true ;  for  I  am  not  alone,  but  I  and  the  Father 
that  sent  me.  Yea  and  in  your  law  it  is  writteu  that  the  witness 
of  two  men  is  true.  I  am  he  that  beareth  witness  of  myself,  and 
the  Father  that  sent  me  beareth  witness  of  me. 

They  said  therefore  unto  him.  Where  is  thy  Father? 

Jesus  answered.  Ye  know  neither  me,  nor  my  Father :  if  ye 
knew  me,  ye  would  know  my  Father  also. 

These  words  spake  he  in  the  treasury,  as  he  taught  in  the 
temple :  and  no  man  took  him ;  because  his  hour  was  not  yet 
come. 

He  said  therefore  again  unto  them,  I  go  away,  and  ye  shall 
seek  me,  and  shall  die  in  your  sin  :  whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come. 

The  Jews  therefore  said.  Will  he  kill  himself,  that  he  saith, 
Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come  % 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  from  beneath  ;  I  am  from 
above :  ye  are  of  this  world  ;  I  am  not  of  this  world.     I  said 


310      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

therefore  uuto  you,  that  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  :  for  except  ye 
believe  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins. 

They  said  therefore  unto  hini,  Who  art  thou  1 

Jesus  said  uuto  them,  Even  that  which  I  have  also  spoken  unto 
you  from  the  beginning.  I  have  many  things  to  speak  and  to 
judge  concerning  you  :  howbeit  he  that  sent  me  is  true  ;  and  the 
things  which  I  heard  from  him,  these  speak  I  nnto  the  world. 

Thej'  perceived  not  that  h':*  5  Make  to  them  of  tlie  Father.  Jesus 
therefore  said,  When  ye  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  man,  then  shall 
ye  know  that  I  am  he,  and  that  I  do  nothing  of  myself,  but  as  the 
Father  taught  me,  I  speak  these  things.  And  he  that  sent  me  is 
with  me ;  he  hath  not  left  me  alone  ;  for  I  do  always  the  things 
that  are  pleasiug  to  him. 

As  he  spake  these  things,  many  believed  on  Mm. 
John  viii.  12-30.     Eevised  Version. 

**  You  Look  at  Me  with  Jaundiced  Eyes** 
"You  make  yourself  judge  in  your  own  favour,"  said  they. 
"You  require  us  to  believe  you,  on  your  own  word.     It  is  too 
much  to  ask.     A  man's  witness  on  his  own  behalf  is  worthless." 

"I  do  not  make  myself  witness  in  my  own  favour,"  replied 
Jesus.  "Your  rule  does  not  apply  to  me,  for  I  speak  not  for 
myself  alone,  but  as  the  mouthpiece  of  Him  from  whom  I  came, 
and  to  whom  I  shall  soon  retiu-n.  If  you  knew  who  He  was,  you 
would  be  forced  to  receive  His  testimony  to  me.  But  you  do  not 
know  Him,  and  therefore  you  reject  it,  for  you  know  neither 
whence  I  came  nor  whither  I  sliall  return.  I  know,  and  must 
know,  best,  whose  messenger  I  am,  and  what  commission  He  has 
given  me.  You  have  no  right  to  accuse  me  as  a  deceiver,  for  you 
are  not  in  a  position  to  judge  of  me,  since  you  know  nothing  of 
my  mission. 

"You  look  at  me  with  jauu'liced  eyes,  and  judge  only  by  my 
lowly,  outward  appearance,  and  are  thus  misled.  I,  by  myself, 
judge  neither  in  my  own  favour,  nor  against  any  one,  for  I  have 
come  not  to  condemn,  but  to  save.  If,  indeed,  in  any  case,  I 
seem  to  judge,  as  in  this  instance  respecting  my  commission,  it  is 
not  I,  alone,  who  do  so,  but  I  ;md  my  Father  who  has  sent  me 
judge  together,  and  thus  the  jijl -inent  must  be  true.  I  am  not 
alone ;  the  Father  who  sent  me  is  with  me,  and  thus,  even  by  your 


HARVEST  HOME  WEEK  IN  JERUSALEM      311 

own  Law,  by  which  the  testimouy  of  two  men  is  received  as  true, 
that  which  I  offer  for  myself  is  more  than  sufficient,  for  I  offer 
you  my  own  word,  and  no  one  can  convict  me  of  untruthfulness, 
and  also  the  witness  of  my  Father.  He  witnesses  for  me  by  the 
very  truths  I  utter,  and  by  the  miracles  you  admit  I  perform." 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuingham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  282. 

**"Whom  Mafcest  Thou  Thyself?*' 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  those  Jews  which  had  believed  him,  If 
ye  abide  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  truly  my  disciples  ;  and  ye  shall 
know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free. 

They  answered  unto  him,  We  are  Abraham's  seed,  and  have 
never  yet  been  in  bondage  to  any  man  :  how  sayest  thou,  Ye  shall 
be  made  free  ? 

Jesus  answered  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Every  one 
that  committeth  sin  is  the  bondservant  of  sin.  And  the  bond- 
servant abideth  not  in  the  house  for  ever :  the  son  abideth  for 
ever.  If  therefore  the  Sou  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free 
indeed. 

I  know  that  ye  are  Abraham's  seed ;  yet  ye  seek  to  kill  me, 
because  my  word  hath  no  place  in  you.  I  speak  the  things  which 
I  have  seen  with  the  Father :  do  ye  also  therefore  the  things 
which  ye  heard  from  the  Father. 

They  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Our  father  is  Abraham. 

Jesus  saith  unto  them.  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye 
would  do  the  works  of  Abraham.  But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a 
man  that  hath  told  you  the  truth,  which  I  heard  from  God :  this 
did  Jiot  Abraham.     Ye  do  the  works  of  your  father. 

They  said  unto  him.  We  were  not  born  of  fornication  ;  we  have 
one  Father,  even  God. 

Jesus  said  unto  them,  If  God  were  your  Father,  ye  would  love 
me  :  for  I  came  foith  and  am  come  from  God  ;  for  neither  have  I 
come  of  myself,  but  he  sent  me.  Why  do  ye  not  understand  my 
speech  ?  Even  because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word.  Ye  are  of  your 
father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your  father  it  is  your  will  to  do. 
He  was  a  murderer  from  the  beginning,  and  standeth  not  in  the 
truth,  because  there  is  no  truth  in  him.  When  he  speaketh  a 
lie,  he  speaketh  of  his  own  :  for  he  is  a  liar,  and  the  father 
thereof.     But  because  I  say  the  truth,  ye  believe  me  not. 


312      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Which  of  you  convicteth  me  of  sin  ?  If  I  say  truth,  why  do  ye 
uot  believe  me  ?  He  that  is  of  God  heareth  the  words  of  God  : 
for  this  cause  ye  hear  them  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  God. 

The  Jews  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Say  we  not  well  that 
thou  art  a  Samaritan,  and  hast  a  devil  1 

Jesus  answered,  I  have  not  a  devil ;  but  I  honour  my  Father, 
and  ye  dishonour  me.  But  I  seek  not  mine  own  glory  :  there  is 
one  that  seeketh  and  judgeth. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  If  a  man  keep  my  word,  he 
shall  never  see  death. 

The  Jews  said  unto  him,  'Now  we  know  that  thou  hast  a  devil. 
Abraham  is  dead,  and  the  prophets ;  and  thou  sayest,  If  a  man 
keep  my  word,  he  shall  never  taste  of  death.  Art  thou  greater 
than  our  father  Abraham,  which  is  dead  ?  and  the  prophets  are 
dead  ;  whom  makest  thou  thyself  ? 

Jesus  answered.  If  I  glorify  myself,  my  glory  is  nothing  :  it  is 
my  Father  that  glorifieth  me ;  of  whom  ye  say,  that  he  is  your 
God ;  and  ye  have  not  known  him  :  but  I  know  him ;  and  if  I 
should  say,  I  know  him  not,  I  shall  be  like  unto  you,  a  liar  :  but 
I  know  him  and  keep  his  word.  Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced 
to  see  my  day  ;  and  he  saw  it  and  was  glad. 

The  Jews  therefore  said  unto  him,  Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years 
old,  and  hast  thou  seen  Abraham  ? 

Jesus  said  unto  them.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Before 
Abraham  was,  I  am. 

They  took  up  stones  therefore  to  cast  at  him :  but  Jesus  was 
hidden  and  went  out  of  the  temple. 

John  viii.  31-59.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

**  We  Were  Never  Slaves  to  Any  Man  " 
The  Jew  in  every  age  has  been  tenacious  of  liberty.  In 
America  to  this  day  no  political  boss  has  been  able  to  corral  the 
Jewish  vote.  Unlike  other  races,  their  voting  strength  has  no 
solidarity — it  refuses  to  be  counted  beforehand.  Incubating  there 
through  forty  heroic  centuries,  independency  is  in  their  blood. 
A  Jew  is  unfit  by  birth  for  a  servile  lot — as  the  capitalist  class 
of  old  discovered.  In  the  slave  markets  at  Rome  a  Jew  always 
brought  a  low  price — to  keep  him  in  slavery  was  a  harassing  task 
to  his  owners  j  load  him  with  irons,  his  spirit  held  out,  unsur- 


HARVEST  HOME  WEEK  IN  JERUSALEM      313 

rendered.  Even  the  haughty  Tacitus  was  moved  to  compliment 
the  Jews  in  that  they  refused  to  flatter  emperors  or  to  erect 
statues  to  earthly  marauders.  "  We  be  Abraham's  seed,  and 
were  never  slaves  to  any  man." 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  79. 

**  Every  Man  That  Committeth  Sin  Is  the  Servant  of  Sin  ** 
On  one  occasion  when  He  had  been  speaking  very  powerfully 
about  His  own  personal  relation  to  His  Father,  a  great  many  of 
His  hearers  were  persuaded  and  believed  on  Him.  Then  Jesus 
said  to  those  Jews  that  believed  on  Him,  "If  ye  continue  in  my 
word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed  ;  and  ye  shall  know  the 
truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free."  That  puzzled  them. 
It  stirred  their  Jewish  blood.  They  told  Him  that  they  were 
born  of  Abraham,  and  were  no  man's  slaves.  "How  sayest 
Thou,  Ye  shall  be  made  free?"  And  Jesus  answered  them, 
"Truly  I  say  unto  you,  every  man  that  committeth  sin  is  the 
servant  of  sin."  That  was  the  freedom  that  His  truth  was  to 
bring, — a  spiritual  freedom,  a  freedom  from  wickedness,  an  un- 
twisting of  the  tight  cords  from  their  hold  on  the  personal  nature. 
Truth  was  something  which,  when  it  came,  would  set  the  whole 
man  free.  By  and  by,  in  the  same  talk.  He  warmed  into  earnest 
pity  not  unmixed  with  indignation.  Poor  people  !  there  they 
stood  before  Him,  and  would  not,  could  not,  understand  the 
things  He  said  to  them.  Would  not  and  could  not  were  all 
mixed  together.  But  His  indignation  reaches  back  behind  them. 
It  cannot  stop  short  of  the  Evil  Spirit  who  is  their  deluder.  "  Ye 
are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your  father  ye  will 
do.  He  was  a  liar  from  the  beginning  and  abode  not  in  the 
truth."  Again,  see  what  a  moral  thing  the  truth  is.  He  who 
does  not  abide  in  it  is  not  merely  a  doubter,  not  merely  a  dis- 
believer, he  is  a  liar.  The  truth  is  truthfulness.  The  subjective 
and  objective  lose  themselves  in  one  another. 
The  Influence  of  Jeans,  Phillips  Brooks,  p.  214. 

"  Before  Abraham  Was  Born,  I  AM !  *' 
"  But  that  you  may  know  that  I  really  am  greater  than  even 
Abraham — the  Friend  of  God — let  me  tell  you  that  Abraham, 
when  he  received,  with  such  joy,  the  promise  that  the  Messiah 


314      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

should  come  from  his  race,  and  bless  all  nations,  was  rejoicing 
that  He  would,  hereafter,  from  Heaven,  see  my  day,  and  He  has 
seen  my  appearing,  from  His  abode  in  Paradise,  and  exulted 
at  it." 

The  crowd,  gross  as  usual,  understood  these  words  of  Abra- 
ham's earthly  life,  and  fancied  that  Jesus  was  now  claiming  to 
have  been  alive  so  long  ago  as  the  time  of  Abraham,  and  to  have 
known  him. 

"It  is  two  thousand  years  ago  since  Abraham's  day,"  broke 
in  a  voice,  "  and  you  are  not  fifty  years  old  yet ;  do  you  mean  to 
say  you  have  seen  Abraham  ?  " 

"I  mean  to  say,"  replied  Jesus,  "far  more  than  even  that. 
Let  me  tell  you,  with  the  utmost  solemnity, — before  Abraham 
was  born,  I  AM." 

This  was  the  very  phrase  in  which  Jehovah  had  announced 
Himself  to  Israel  in  Egypt.  It  implied  a  continuous  existence 
from  the  beginning,  as  if  the  speaker  had  claimed  to  be.  Him- 
self, the  uncreated  Eternal.  Abraham  had  come  into  being,  but 
he  had  existence  in  Himself,  without  a  beginning. 

His  hearers  instantly  took  it  in  this  august  meaning,  and  Jesus, 
the  Truth,  made  no  attempt,  then  or  afterwards,  to  undeceive 
them.  Utterly  turned  against  Him,  they  rushed  hither  and 
thither,  in  wild  fanaticism,  for  stones,  with  which  to  put  Him  to 
death  as  a  blasphemer.  Many  of  those  used  in  the  building  of 
parts  of  the  Temple,  still  incomplete,  lay  in  piles  at  different 
parts.  But  Jesus  hid  Himself  among  the  crowd,  some  of  whom 
were  less  hostile,  and,  in  the  confusion,  passed  safely  out  of  the 
sacred  precincts. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  289, 


XXIV 
LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDEEEE 

Foxes  found  rest  aud  the  birds  their  nest 

In  the  shade  of  the  forest  tree  ; 
But  thy  couch  was  the  sod,  O  thou  Sou  of  God, 

In  the  deserts  of  Galilee. 

—Emily  E.  S.  Elliott. 

He  Set  His  Face  to  Go  to  Jerusalem 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  days  were  well-nigh  come  that 
he  should  be  received  up,  he  stedfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jeru- 
salem, aud  sent  messengers  before  his  face  :  aud  they  went,  and 
entered  into  a  village  of  the  Samaritans,  to  make  ready  for  him. 

And  they  did  not  receive  him,  because  his  face  was  as  though 
he  were  goiug  to  Jerusalem. 

And  wheu  his  disciples  James  and  John  saw  this,  they  said, 
Lord,  wilt  thou  that  we  bid  fire  to  come  down  from  heaveu,  and 
consume  them  ? 

But  he  turned  aud  rebuked  them.  And  they  went  to  another 
village. 

Luke  ix.  51-56,     Revised  Version. 

**  They  Deserve  to  Be  Killed  by  a  Thwnder-Storm  !  ** 
It  happened  one  day  that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  came  to  a  vil- 
lage and  asked  to  be  allowed  to  spend  the  night  there.  But  no 
one  would  let  them  in.  And  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus  aud  told 
Him  about  it,  saying:  "Such  wicked  people  live  there — they 
deserve  to  be  killed  by  a  thunder-storm  !" 

And  Jesus  was  grieved,  and  said:  ''You  do  not  understand 
of  what  spirit  you  are.  I  do  not  teach  how  to  destroy  but  how  to 
save  people.  How  can  one  wish  one's  neighbour  any  ill  ?  In 
every  man  lives  the  same  spirit  of  God  as  in  you,  and  you  must 
not  wish  ill  to  that  which  is  within  yourselves." 

The  Teaching  of  Jesus,  Leo  Tolstoi.    Translated  by  L.  and  A.  Maude,  p.  49, 

315 


316      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN  " 

** The  Son  of  Man  Hath  Not  Where  to  Lay  His  Head** 

And  as  they  went  in  the  way,  a  certain  man  said  unto  him,  I 
will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest. 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds 
of  the  heaven  have  nests  ;  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to 
lay  his  head. 

And  he  said  unto  another,  Follow  me. 

But  he  said,  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father. 

But  he  said  unto  him.  Leave  the  dead  to  bury  their  own  dead  ; 
but  go  thou  and  publish  abroad  the  kingdom  of  God. 

And  another  also  said,  I  will  follow  thee.  Lord  ;  but  first  suffer 
me  to  bid  farewell  to  them  that  are  at  my  house. 

But  Jesus  said  unto  him.  No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to  the 
plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Luke  ix.  57-62.     Revised  Version. 

Sending  out  the  Seventy 

Now  after  these  things  the  Lord  appointed  seventy  others,  and 
sent  them  two  and  two  before  his  face  into  every  city  and  place, 
whither  he  himself  was  about  to  come. 

And  he  said  unto  them.  The  harvest  is  i^leuteous,  but  the  labour- 
ers are  few :  pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he 
send  forth  labourers  into  his  harvest. 

Go  your  ways  :  behold  I  send  you  forth  as  lambs  in  the  midst 
of  wolves.  Carry  no  purse,  no  wallet,  no  shoes :  and  salute  no 
man  on  the  way.  And  into  whatsoever  house  ye  shall  enter,  first 
say.  Peace  be  to  this  house.  And  if  a  son  of  peace  be  there,  your 
peace  shall  rest  upon  him  :  but  if  not,  it  shall  turn  to  you  again. 
And  in  that  same  house  remain,  eating  and  drinking  such  things 
as  they  give  :  for  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  Go  not  from 
house  to  house. 

And  into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  and  they  receive  you,  eat 
such  things  as  are  set  before  you  :  and  heal  the  sick  that  are 
therein,  and  say  unto  them.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh 
unto  you. 

But  into  whatsoever  city  ye  shall  enter,  and  they  receive  you 
not,  go  out  into  the  streets  thereof  and  say.  Even  the  dust  from 
your  city,  that  cleaveth  to  our  feet,  we  do  wipe  off  against  you  : 
howbeit  know  this,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh.     I  say 


LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDERER    317 

unto  you,  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  iu  that  day  for  Sodom,  than 
for  that  city. 

Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  !  Woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida !  for  if 
the  mighty  works  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidou,  which  were 
done  in  you,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago,  sitting  in  sack- 
cloth and  ashes.  Howbeit  it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and 
Sidon  in  the  judgment,  than  for  you. 

And  thou,  Capernaum,  shalt  thou  be  exalted  unto  heaven? 
thou  shalt  be  brought  down  unto  Hades. 

He  that  heareth  you  heareth  me ;  and  he  that  rejecteth  you 
rejecteth  me ;  and  he  that  rejecteth  me  rejecteth  him  that  sent 
me. 

Luke  X.  1-16.     Revised  Version. 

The  Charge  of  the  King 
Before  their  departure,  the  King  gave  them  a  solemn  charge  in 
view  of  their  work.     A  careful  study  of  this  will  make  it  evident 
that  while  He  was  referring  to  work  which  lay  immediately  before 
these  men,  His  mind  traveled  on  to  work  which  they  would  have 
to  do  at  a  later  period  ;  and  even  beyond,  to  the  work  of  all  His 
disciples  to  the  end  of  the  age  which  His  commission  initiated. 
The  charge  therefore  had  to  do  with  three  periods  of  work  ;  the 
first  work  until  the  Cross ;  the  second  period  of  service  till  the 
Son  of  Man  be  come  ;  and  the  third  period  to  the  end  of  the  age. 
The  Analyzed  Bible,  the  Rev.G.  Campbell  Morgan,  D.  D.,  The  Gospel  Accord- 
ing to  3Iatthew,  p.  125. 

*'  The  Labourer  Is  Worthy  of  His  Hire  ** 

.  .  .  There  was  noticeable  in  him  [a  certain]  dignity,  ma- 
tured within  him  by  years  of  acknowledged  mastership  as  a 
workman.  This  inwrought  sense  of  mastery  tells  in  his  every 
move.  The  hinges  of  his  knee  had  never  been  oiled  with  the  oil 
of  cringing.  His  eye  possessed  power.  This  working-class  agi- 
tator had  a  way  of  beholding  a  person  in  silence.  And  the  trait 
must  have  been  characteristic.     For  we  read  frequently,    "He 

looked  upon  them  and  said ."     His  port  spelt  the  majesty  of 

self-respect.  He  even  enjoins  it  upon  his  disciples,  warning  them 
against  meau-spiritedness. 

Sending  them  on  a  propagandist  tour,  he  tells  them  that  in  each 


318      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

village  they  enter  they  are  to  claim  hostelry  at  the  chief  house  : 
"Inquire  who  in  it  is  worthy.''  And  any  house  closing  its  door 
against  them  writes  itself  down  thereby  as  the  abode  of  stupidity. 
He  himself  glanced  up  at  many  a  westering  sun,  without  knowing 
where  he  would  lay  his  head  that  night.  Nevertheless  no  wealth 
of  hospitality  could  warp  him  as  guest  from  straightest  truth- 
telling.  "Master,  we  know  that  thou  art  true,  neither  carest 
thou  for  any  man  ;  for  thou  regardest  not  the  person  of  men." 

Ofttimes  he  invited  himself  to  a  night's  lodging,  and  it  was 
always  with  the  air  of  conferring  a  favour.  Now  and  then  the 
overture  was  rejected ;  whereupon  he  concealed  not  his  con- 
temptuous pity  at  their  lack  of  insight — "  let  the  dead  bury  their 
dead."  In  him  never  a  touch  of  fawning  flattery.  His  bearing 
throughout  was  that  of  a  spirited  labourer,  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  doing  an  honest  day's  work  and  demanding  an  honest 
day's  pay.  He  bristled  at  any  faintest  squint  of  charity  :  *'  The 
labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire." 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  38. 


"Blessed  Are  the  Eyes  That  See  What  You  Have  Seen!** 

And  the  seventy  returned  with  joy,  saying.  Lord,  even  the 
devils  are  subject  unto  us  in  thy  name. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  I  beheld  Satan  fallen  as  lightning  from 
heaven.  Behold,  I  have  given  you  authority  to  tread  upon  ser- 
pents and  scorpions,  and  over  all  the  power  of  the  enemy  :  and 
nothing  shall  in  any  wise  hurt  you.  Howbeit  in  this  rejoice  not, 
that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto  you  ;  but  rejoice  that  your  names 
are  written  in  heaven. 

In  that  same  hour  he  rejoiced  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  said,  I 
thank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  Heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  didst 
hide  these  things  from  the  wise  and  understanding,  and  didst  re- 
veal them  unto  babes  :  yea,  Father,  for  so  it  was  well  pleasing  in 
thy  sight. 

All  things  have  been  delivered  unto  me  of  my  Father  :  and  no 
one  knoweth  who  the  Son  is,  save  the  Father  ;  and  who  the  Father 
is,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  willeth  to  reveal 
him. 

And  turning  to  the  disciples,  he  said  privately,  Blessed  are  the 


LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDERER    319 

eyes  which  see  the  things  that  ye  see  :  for  I  say  unto  you,  that 
many  projphets  and  kings  desired  to  see  the  things  which  ye  see, 
and  saw  them  not  ;  and  to  hear  the  things  which  ye  hear,  and 
heard  them  not. 

Luke  X.  17-24.     Revised  Versiou. 


He  Saw  Good  Multiplied  through  Others 

And  Jesus  was  gieatly  moved,  because  he  saw  that  the  power 
he  had  in  himself  to  heal  and  to  bless  men,  he  could  also  impart 
to  others.  Thus  the  good  done  might  be  multiplied  without  end, 
and  be  transmitted  from  one  to  another.  And  so  his  spirit  could 
pass  into  the  minds  ev^en  of  the  most  ignorant  and  humble. 

"  Behold  !  "  he  cried,  "  I  see  Satan  falling  from  heaven.  Now 
his  jjower  is  broken.  I  thank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth,  that  thou  hast  not  bestowed  these  gifts  upon  the  wise 
and  the  learned,  but  that  these  divine  truths  can  be  seen  by  those 
who  are  only  babes  in  the  knowledge  of  this  world."  Then, 
turning  to  us,  he  said,  ''As  God  giveth  all  things  freely  to  me,  I 
give  freely  to  you,  as  ye  have  freely  received,  so  freely  give.  Ye 
are  all  sharers  of  this  great  gift  of  being  sons  of  God.  The  world 
knoweth  nothing  of  this  great  joy.  The  Father  and  the  Son  know 
each  other  ;  but  the  world  knoweth  not  this  trust  of  the  child  in 
his  heavenly  Father.  Yet  he  who  feels  it  in  his  soul  can  reveal 
it  to  others.  I  have  revealed  it  to  you,  and  ye  may  reveal  it  again 
to  others,  thus  helping  them  to  become  sharers  of  your  joy." 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Related  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  306. 

**  Who  Is  My  Neighbour?'* 

And  behold,  a  ceitain  lawyer  stood  up  and  tempted  him,  say- 
ing, Teacher,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life? 

And  he  said  unto  him,  What  is  written  in  the  law  ?  how  readest 
thou  ? 

And  he  answering  said.  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God, 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind  ;  and  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 

And  he  said  unto  him.  Thou  hast  answered  right :  this  do,  and 
thou  shalt  live. 


320       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

But  he,  desiriug  to  justify  himself,  said  unto  Jesus,  And  who 
is  my  neighbour  ? 

Luke  X.  25-29.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

The  Story  of  the  Neighbourly  Samaritan 

Jesus  made  answer  and  said, 

A  certain  man  was  going  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  ;  and 
he  fell  among  robbers,  who  stripped  him  and  beat  him,  and  de- 
parted, leaving  him  half  dead. 

And  by  chance  a  certain  j)riest  was  going  down  that  way :  and 
when  he  saw  him,  he  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 

And  in  like  manner  a  Levite  also,  when  he  came  to  the  place, 
and  saw  him,  passed  by  on  the  other  side. 

But  a  certain  Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he  was  : 
and  when  he  saw  him,  he  was  moved  with  compassion,  and  came 
to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  on  them  oil  and  wine ; 
and  he  set  him  on  his  own  beast,  and  brought  him  to  an  inn,  and 
took  care  of  him. 

And  on  the  morrow  he  took  out  two  shillings,  and  gave  them 
to  the  host,  and  said,  Take  care  of  him  ;  and  whatsoever  thou 
spendest  more,  I,  when  I  come  back  again,  will  repay  thee. 

Which  of  these  three,  thinkest  thou,  proved  neighbour  unto  him 
that  fell  among  robbers  ! 

And  he  said,  He  that  shewed  mercy  on  him. 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Go,  and  do  thou  likewise. 
Luke  X.  30-37.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

A  Pharisee's  Opinion  of  the  Parable 

(Extract  from  a  supposed  letter  by  a  rabbi) 

.  .  .  .  Another  day  he  told  another  story,  which  pleased 
the  people  greatly,  the  purport  of  which  was  to  show  how  much 
better  an  infidel  of  Samaria  was  than  a  Jewish  priest  and  Levite. 
It  was  about  a  Jew  who  was  robbed  and  wouuded  between  Jeru- 
salem and  Jericho,  and  left  to  die  among  the  burning  rocks  of 
that  steep  defile. 

At  first  a  priest  came  by,  and,  through  selfish  fear,  went  on, 
and  left  him. 

Then  a  Levite  came,  and  looked  at  him,  and,  seeing  that  he 
was  no  friend  of  his,  also  went  on  his  way. 


B.   Plockhorst,     1825 — 


THE   NEIGHBORLY    SAMARITAN 


LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDERER    321 

At  last  an  infidel  of  Samaria  came,  and,  although  he  was  on  a 
journey,  stopped,  and  bandaged  the  man's  wounds,  and  lifted  him 
upon  his  ass,  and,  holding  him  there,  walked  by  the  side  until 
they  came  to  an  inn  in  the  city  of  Jericho.  There  he  staid  and 
tended  him  all  night ;  and  on  the  following  morning,  this  holy 
idolater  gave  money  to  the  host  to  pay  for  the  stranger's  support 
until  he  himself  returned. 

Now,  this  foolish  story  about  an  impossible  Samaritan  was 

evidently  told  to  make  the  people  believe  that  all  the  people  of 

Samaria  are  tender-hearted,  and  that  the  priests  and  Levites  are 

hard-hearted  ;  and  in  this,  again,  he  bore  false  witness  against 

his  brethren  in  behalf  of  their  worst  enemies. 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Bidymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  252. 

In  the  Home  at  Bethany 

Now  as  they  went  on  their  way,  he  entered  into  a  certain  vil- 
lage :  and  a  certain  woman  named  Martha  received  him  into  her 
house. 

And  she  had  a  sister  called  Mary,  who  also  sat  at  the  Lord's 
feet,  and  heard  his  word. 

But  Martha  was  distracted  about  much  serving  ;  and  she  came 
up  to  him,  and  said,  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister  did 
leave  me  to  serve  alone  ?  bid  her  therefore  that  she  help  me. 

But  the  Lord  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Martha,  Martha, 
thou  art  anxious  and  troubled  about  many  things  :  but  one  thing 
is  needful :  for  Mary  hath  chosen  the  good  part,  which  shall  not 
be  taken  away  from  her. 

Luke  X.  38-42.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals, 

Jesus  Loved  Martha  and  Her  Sister 

A  Martha  still  in  deed  and  good  endeavour  ; 
In  faith  like  Mary,  at  His  feet  forever. 

— Coleridge. 

Her  younger  sister,  also,  would  do  Him  all  highest  honour  ;  but, 
not  as  Martha.  Her  homage  consisted  in  forgetting  all  else  but 
Him,  who  spake  as  none  had  ever  done.  As  truest  courtesy  or 
affection  consists,  not  in  its  demonstration,  so  with  Mary  in  the 
presence  of  Christ.  And  then  a  new  light,  another  day  had  risen 
upon  her ;  a  fresh  life  had  sijrang  up  within  her  soul :  "  she  sat 


322       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

at  the  Lord's  feet,  aud  heard  His  word."  "VVe  dare  not  inquire, 
and  yet  we  well  know,  of  what  it  would  be.  And  so,  time  after 
time — perhaps,  hour  after  hour — as  Martha  passed  on  her  busy 
way,  she  still  sat  listening  and  living.  At  last,  the  sister  who,  in 
her  impatience,  could  not  think  that  a  woman  could,  in  such 
manner,  fulfil  her  duty,  or  show  forth  her  religious  profiting, 
broke  in  with  what  sounds  like  a  querulous  complaint :  "  Lord, 
dost  Thou  not  care  that  my  sister  did  leave  me  to  serve  alone?  " 
Mary  had  served  with  her,  but  she  had  now  left  her  to  do  the 
work  alone. 

Would  the  Master  bid  her  resume  her  neglected  work  ?  But, 
with  tone  of  gentle  reproof  and  admonition,  the  affectiouateness 
of  which  appeared  even  in  the  repetition  of  her  name,  Martha, 
Martha — as,  similarly,  on  a  later  occasion,  Simon,  Simon, — did 
He  teach  her  in  words  which,  however  simple  in  their  primary 
meaning,  are  so  full,  that  they  have  ever  since  borne  the  most 
many-sided  application:  "Thou  art  careful  and  anxious  about 
many  things  ;  but  one  thing  is  needful ;  and  Mary  hath  chosen 
that  good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

It  was,  as  we  imagine,  perhaps  the  first  day  of,  or  else  the 
preparation  for,  the  feast.  More  than  that  one  day  did  Jesus 
tarry  in  the  home  of  Bethany.  Whether  Lazarus  came  then  to 
see  Him — and,  still  more,  what  both  Martha  and  Mary  learned, 
either  then,  or  afterwards,  we  reverently  forbear  to  search  into. 
Suffice  it,  that  though  the  natural  disi^osition  of  the  sisters  re- 
mained what  it  had  been,  yet  henceforth,  "Jesus  loved  Martha 
and  her  sister." 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Je>ms  the  STessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p.  147. 

The  Man  Born  Blind  Browbeaten  by  Pharisees 

Aud  as  he  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  blind  from  his  birth.  And 
his  disciples  asked  him,  saying.  Rabbi,  who  did  sin,  this  man,  or 
his  parents,  that  he  should  be  born  blind  ? 

Jesus  answered.  Neither  did  this  man  sin,  nor  his  parents  :  but 
that  the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in  him.  We  must 
work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is  day  :  the  night 
Cometh,  when  no  man  can  work.  When  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am 
the  light  of  the  world. 


LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDERER    323 

When  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  spat  on  the  ground,  and  with 
the  clay  thereof  anointed  his  eyes,  and  said  unto  him.  Go,  wash 
in  the  pool  of  Siloaui  (which  is  by  interpretation.  Sent). 

He  went  away  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came  seeing. 

The  neighbours  therefore,  and  they  that  saw  him  aforetime,  that 
he  was  a  beggar,  said,  Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged  ? 

Others  said.  It  is  he  :  others  said.  No,  but  he  is  like  him. 

He  said,  I  am  he. 

They  said  therefore  unto  him,  How  then  were  thine  ej^es 
opened  ? 

He  answered.  The  man  that  is  called  Jesus  made  clay,  and 
anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said  unto  me,  Go  to  Siloam  and  wash  : 
so  I  went  away  and  washed,  and  I  received  sight. 

And  they  said  unto  him.  Where  is  he  ? 

He  saith,  I  know  not. 

They  bring  to  the  Pharisees  him  that  aforetime  was  blind. 

Now  it  was  the  sabbath  on  the  day  when  Jesus  made  the  clay, 
and  opened  his  eyes. 

Again  therefore  the  Pharisees  also  asked  him  how  he  received 
his  sight. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  He  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I 
washed,  and  do  see. 

Some  therefore  of  the  Pharisees  said,  This  man  is  not  from 
God,  because  he  keepeth  not  the  sabbath. 

But  others  said,  How  can  a  man  that  is  a  sinner  do  such  signs? 

And  there  was  a  division  among  them. 

They  say  therefore  unto  the  blind  man  again,  What  sayest 
thou  of  him,  in  that  he  opened  thine  eyes? 

And  he  said,  He  is  a  prophet. 

The  Jews  therefore  did  not  believe  concerning  him  that  he  had 
been  blind,  and  had  received  his  sight,  until  they  called  the  par- 
ents of  him  that  had  received  his  sight,  and  asked  them,  saying. 
Is  this  your  son,  who  ye  say  was  born  blind  ?  how  then  doth  he 
now  see  ? 

His  parents  answered  and  said,  We  know  that  this  is  our  son, 
and  that  he  was  born  blind :  but  how  he  now  seeth,  we  know 
not ;  or  who  opened  his  eyes,  we  know  not :  ask  him  ;  he  is  of 
age  ;  he  shall  speak  for  himself. 

These  things  said  his  parents,  because  they  feared  the  Jews  : 


?24      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

for  the  Jews  had  agreed  already,  that  if  any  man  should  coufess 
him  to  be  the  Christ,  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue. 
Therefore  said  his  parents,  He  is  of  age  ;  ask  him. 

So  they  called  a  second  time  the  man  that  was  blind,  and  said 
unto  him,  Give  glory  to  God  ;  we  know  that  this  man  is  a  sinner. 

He  therefore  answered.  Whether  he  be  a  sinner,  I  know  not  : 
one  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see. 

They  said  therefore  unto  him,  What  did  he  to  thee?  How 
opened  he  thine  eyes  *? 

He  answered  them,  I  told  you  even  now,  and  ye  did  not  hear  : 
wherefore  would  ye  hear  it  again  I  would  ye  also  become  his  dis- 
ciples ! 

And  they  reviled  him,  and  said.  Thou  art  his  disciple,  but  we 
are  disciples  of  Moses.  We  know  that  God  hath  spoken  unto 
Moses  :  but  as  for  this  man,  we  know  not  whence  he  is. 

The  man  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Why,  herein  is  a 
marvel,  that  ye  know  not  whence  he  is,  and  yet  he  opened  mine 
eyes.  We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners  :  but  if  any  man 
be  a  worshiper  of  God,  and  do  his  will,  him  he  heareth.  Since 
the  world  began  it  was  never  heard  that  any  one  opened  the  eyes 
of  a  man  born  blind.  If  this  man  were  not  from  God,  he  could 
do  nothing. 

They  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Thou  wast  altogether  born 
in  sins,  and  dost  thou  teach  us  ?    And  they  cast  him  out. 

Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out ;  and  finding  him,  he 
said,  Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God "? 

He  answered  and  said.  And  who  is  he.  Lord,  that  I  may  be- 
lieve on  him  ? 

Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  he  it  is  that 
speaketh  with  thee. 

And  he  said.  Lord,  I  believe.     And  he  worshiped  him. 

And  Jesus  said,  For  judgment  came  I  into  this  world,  that 
they  which  see  not  may  see  ;  and  that  they  that  see  may  become 
blind. 

Those  of  the  Pharisees  who  were  with  him  heard  these  things, 
and  said  unto  him,  Are  we  also  blind  ? 

Jesus  said  unto  them,  If  ye  were  blind,  ye  would  have  no  sin  : 
but  now  ye  say.  We  see  :  your  sin  remaineth. 
John  ix.  1-41.     Kevised  Version,  using  Marginals. 


LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDERER    325 

** One  Thing  I  Know'' 

,  "I  know  uot  what  this  mau  may  be, 

Sinner  or  saint  ;  but  as  for  me, 
One  thing  I  know,  that  1  am  he 
That  once  was  blind,  and  now  I  see." 

— John  Hay. 

«If  Ye  Were  Blind,  Ye  Should  Have  No  Sin  " 

"Vile  wretch  of  a  beggar!"  .  .  .  thou  wast  altogether 
boru  in  sins,  and  dost  teach  us !  Get  thee  hence  from  this  sacred 
place,  and  dare  uot  to  again  enter  it  on  pain  of  thy  life  !  " 

And  the  man  went  forth,  sad  at  heart ;  for  he  longed  with  a 
great  longing  to  see  the  glories  of  the  Temple. 

Now  as  he  walked,  continually  lifting  his  eyes  to  the  shining 
walls  from  which  he  was  henceforth  to  be  shut  out,  he  heard  a 
voice  speaking  to  him  ;  and  turning,  he  saw  one  who  looked  at 
him  with  a  grave  and  yet  sweet  look,  so  that  his  heart  was 
mightily  stirred  within  him,  though  he  knew  uot  why.  And 
the  mau  spake  to  him,  and  he  knew  the  voice — it  was  that  of 
him  who  had  bidden  him  to  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam  ! 

"Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?" 

And  the  beggar,  trembling,  made  answer:  "Who  is  he,  Lord, 
that  I  might  believe  on  him  ?  " 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  "  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  it  is 
he  that  talketh  with  thee. " 

Then  the  beggar  fell  down  at  his  feet  and  kissed  the  hem  of  his 
garment,  crying  out,  "  Lord,  I  believe  ! " 

Now  it  happened  that  some  of  the  Pharisees  who  had  cast  him 
out  of  the  Temple  were  standing  near,  and  heard  it.  And  Jesus, 
seeing  their  angry  looks,  and  reading  the  thoughts  of  their  hearts, 
turned  and  said  unto  them  :  "  For  judgment  I  am  come  into  this 
world,  that  they  which  see  not  might  see  ;  and  that  they  which 
see  might  be  made  blind." 

Then  the  Pharisees  answered  him  scornfully  :  "  Are  we  blind 
also  %  " 

Jesus  said  unto  them:  "If  ye  were  blind,  ye  should  have 
no  sin ;  but  now  ye  say,  '  We  see '  ;  therefore  your  sin  re- 
maiueth." 

Titus,  a  Comrade  of  the  Cross,  Florence  M.  Kingsley,  p.  50. 


326      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Terrible  Consequences  of  Being  Cast  out  of  the 
Synagogue 

Henceforth  he  would  sit  on  the  ground,  and  bear  himself  like 
cue  in  deep  mourning.  He  would  allow  his  beard  and  hair  to 
grow  wild  and  shaggy  ;  he  would  not  bathe,  nor  anoint  himself ; 
he  would  not  be  admitted  into  an  assembly  of  ten  men,  neither  to 
public  prayer,  nor  to  the  academy  ;  though  he  might  either  teach, 
or  be  taught  by,  single  individuals.  Nay,  as  if  he  were  a  leper, 
people  would  keep  at  a  distance  of  four  cubits  from  him.  If  he 
died,  stones  were  cast  on  his  coffin,  nor  was  he  allowed  the  honour 
of  the  ordinary  funeral,  nor  were  they  to  mourn  for  him.  Still 
more  terrible  was  the  final  excommunication,  .  .  when  a  ban 
of  indefinite  duration  was  laid  on  a  man. 

Henceforth  he  was  like  one  dead.  He  was  not  allowed  to  study 
with  others  ;  no  intercourse  was  to  be  held  with  him,  he  was  not 
even  to  be  shown  the  road.  He  might,  indeed,  buy  the  neces- 
saries of  life,  but  it  was  forbidden  to  eat  or  drink  with  such  an 
one. 

We  can  understand,  how  every  one  would  dread  such  an  anath- 
ema. But  when  we  remember,  what  it  would  involve  to  persons 
in  the  rank  of  life,  and  so  miserably  poor  as  the  parents  of  that 
blind  man,  we  no  longer  wonder  at  their  evasion  of  the  question 
put  by  the  Sanhedrin. 

And  if  we  ask  ourselves,  on  what  ground  so  terrible  a  punish- 
ment could  be  inflicted  to  all  time  and  in  every  place — for  the  ban 
once  pronounced  ai>plied  everywhere — simply  for  the  confession 
of  Jesus  as  the  Christ,  the  answer  is  not  difficult.  The  rabbinists 
enumerate  twenty-four  grounds  for  excommunication,  of  which 
more  than  one  might  serve  the  purpose  of  the  Pharisees.  But  in 
general,  to  resist  the  authority  of  the  scribes,  or  any  of  their  de- 
crees, or  to  lead  others  either  away  from  "the  commandments," 
or  to  what  was  regarded  as  profanation  of  the  divine  name,  was 
sufiicient  to  incur  the  ban,  while  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
excommunication  by  the  president  of  the  Sanhedrin  extended 
to  all  places  and  persons.     .     .     . 

But  he  who  had  been  healed  of  his  blindness  was  not  to  be  . 
betrayed  into  a  denunciation  of  his  great  Physician.  The  sim- 
plicity and  earnestness  of  his  convictions  enabled  him  to  gain 
even  a  logical  victory.     It  was  his  turn  now  to  bring  back  the 


LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDERER    327 

question  to  the  issue  which  they  had  originally  raised ;  and  we 
admire  it  all  the  more,  as  we  remember  the  consequences  to  this 
poor  man  of  thus  daring  the  Pharisees. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  3Icssiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxou., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  184. 

The  Story  of  the  Loving  Shepherd 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  entereth  not  by  the  door 
into  the  fold  of  the  sheep,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the 
same  is  a  thief  and  a  robber.  But  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  door 
is  the  shepherd  of  the  sheep.  To  him  the  porter  openeth  ;  and 
the  sheep  hear  his  voice  :  and  he  calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name, 
and  leadeth  them  out.  When  he  hath  put  forth  all  his  own,  he 
goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him  :  for  they  know  his 
voice.  And  a  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but  will  flee  from 
him  :  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers. 

This  parable  spake  Jesus  unto  them :  but  they  understood  not 
what  things  they  were  which  he  spake  unto  them. 

Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them  again,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep.  All  that  came  before  me  are 
thieves  and  robbers  :  but  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them.  I  am  the 
door  :  by  me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go 
in  and  go  out,  and  shall  find  pasture.  The  thief  cometh  not,  but 
that  he  may  steal,  and  kill,  and  destroy  :  I  came  that  they  may 
have  life,  and  may  have  it  abundantly. 

I  am  the  good  shepherd  :  the  good  shepherd  layeth  down  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  He  that  is  a  hireling,  and  not  a  shepherd, 
whose  own  the  sheep  are  not,  beholdeth  the  wolf  coming,  and 
leaveth  the  sheep,  and  fleeth,  and  the  wolf  snatcheth  them,  and 
scattereth  them :  he  fleeth  because  he  is  a  hireling,  and  careth 
not  for  the  sheep. 

I  am  the  good  shepherd  ;  and  I  know  mine  own,  and  mine  own 
know  me,  even  as  the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I  know  the  Fa- 
ther ;  and  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep.  "And  other  sheep  I 
have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and 
they  shall  hear  my  voice  ;  and  they  shall  become  one  flock,  one 
shepherd. 

Therefore  doth  the  Father  love  me,  because  I  lay  down  my  life, 
that  I  may  take  it  again.     No  one  taketh  it  away  from  me,  but  I  lay 


328      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

it  down  of  myself.  I  have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power 
to  take  it  again.  This  commandment  received  I  from  my  Father. 
There  arose  a  division  again  among  the  Jews  because  of  these 
words.  And  many  of  them  said,  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad ; 
why  hear  ye  him  ?  Others  said.  These  are  not  the  sayings  of  one 
possessed  with  a  demon.     Can  a  devil  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  ? 

John  X.  1-21.     Revised  Version,  usiug  Marginals,  etc. 

An  Intefpretation  of  the  Parable 
He  first  describes  himself,  in  contrast  with  the  Pharisees,  as 
the  genuine  and  divinely-called  leader  of  the  people.  The  blind 
man  whom  he  had  healed  was  the  representative  of  all  such  op- 
pressed souls  as  were  repelled  by  the  selfish  judges,  and  drawn  to 
Christ.  It  may  have  been  the  case  (although  the  supposition  is 
not  necessary)  that  the  sight  of  a  flock  of  sheep  at  hand  suggested 
the  parable. 

The  thief  who  leaps  over  the  wall,  instead  of  entering  the  fold 
by  the  door,  represents  those  Avho  become  teachers  and  guides  of 
the  peo]3le  of  their  own  mere  will.  The  Shepherd,  entering  in  at 
the  door,  represents  Christ,  who  offers  himself,  divinely-called,  to 
guide  seeking  souls  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  His  voice  harmonises 
with  the  divine  drawing  within  them  :  they  know  it,  and  admit 
him ;  he  knows  them  all,  and  all  their  wants.  He  goes  before 
them,  and  leads  the  way  to  the  pasture  where  their  wants  can  be 
satisfied.  But  the  voice  of  the  selfish  leaders  is  strange  to  them, 
and  they  flee  with  repugnance ;  knowing  well  that  such  guides 
have  other  aims  than  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  those  that  hear 
vhem.     .     .     . 

In  this  form  of  the  parable  Christ  contrasts  himself  (as  the 
ehepherd  who  alone  seeks  the  welfare  of  the  sheep)  not  only  with 
^he  thieves,  but  also  with  the  hirelings.  These  two  classes  cor- 
i-esponded  to  two  different  classes  of  Pharisees,  viz.,  those  who 
sacrificed  the  welfare  of  the  people  to  their  own  wholly  selfish 
films  ;  and  those  who,  with  better  feelings,  had  not  love  enough, 
and  therefore  not  courage  enough,  to  risk  everything  for  the  good 
of  souls.  The  latter,  afraid  of  the  power  of  the  former,  gave  the 
poor  people  up  to  the  power  of  the  Evil  One  (the  wolf,  v.  12),  to 
scatter  and  uivide.  Standing  between  Christ  and  the  Sanhedriu, 
iMs  party,  ivith  all  their  good  intentions,  had  neither  the  steadi- 


■  LEAVING  GALILEE,  A  HOMELESS  WANDERER    329 

ness  of  purpose  nor  the  self-sacrificing  love  which  were  needed  in 
such  a  position.  In  contrast  with  such,  Christ  declares,  "lam 
the  good  shepherd,  and  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine 
(thus  betokening  the  inward  sympathy  between  himself  and  those 
that  belonged  to  him  by  the  divine  drawing  within  them),  and  I 
lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep." 

With  this  view  of  his  comiug  self-sacrifice  for  the  salvation  of 
men  before  him,  his  eye  glances  forward  to  the  greater  develop- 
ment of  his  work  that  was  to  follow  that  sacrifice,  and  there  he 
sees  "  other  sheep,  not  of  this  fold  "—souls  ready  for  the  kiugdom 
among  other  nations,  who  were  also  to  have  their  place  before  its 
consummation:  "Them,  also,  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear 
my  voice  :  and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd." 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Augustus  Neander.    Translated  by  John  McClintock 
and  Charles  E.  Blumenthal,  p.  330. 

The  Last  Anniversary  of  His  Birth 
About  two  months  had  passed  since  Jesus  had  left  Jerusalem 
after  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  Although  we  must  not  commit 
ourselves  to  such  calculations,  we  may  here  mention  the  compu- 
tation which  identifies  the  first  day  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles 
of  that  year  with  Thursday  the  23d  September;  the  last,  "the 
great  day  of  the  feast,"  with  Wednesday  the  29th;  the  [eight 
days]  of  the  feast  with  the  30th  September ;  and  the  Sabbath 
when  the  man  born  blind  was  healed  with  the  2nd  of  October. 
In  that  case,  "the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  of  the  Temple,"  which 
commenced  on  the  25th  day  of  Chislev,  and  lasted  eight  days, 
would  have  begun  on  Wednesday  the  1st,  and  closed  on  Wednesday 
the  8th  December.  But,  possibly,  it  may  have  been  a  week  or 
two  later.  At  that  feast,  or  about  two  months  after  He  had 
quitted  the  city,  we  find  Christ  once  more  in  Jerusalem  and  in 
the  Temple.  His  journey  thither  seems  indicated  in  the  Third 
Gospel  (St.  Luke  xiii.  22),  and  is  at  least  implied  in  the  opening 
words  with  which  St.  John  prefaces  his  narrative  of  what  hap- 
pened on  that  occasion. 

As  we  think  of  it,  there  seems  a  special  fitness— presently  to 
be  pointed  out — in  Christ's  spending  what  we  regard  as  the  last 
anniversary  season  of  His  birth  in  the  Temple  at  that  feast. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  226. 


330      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Jesus  at  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication 

Aud  it  was  the  feast  of  the  dedication  at  Jerusalem :  it  was 
winter  ;  and  Jesus  was  walking  in  the  temple  in  Solomon's  porch. 

The  Jews  therefore  came  round  about  him,  aud  said  unto  him, 
How  long  dost  thou  hold  us  in  suspense  ■?  If  thou  art  the  Christ, 
tell  us  plainly. 

Jesus  answered  them,  I  told  you,  and  ye  believe  not :  the  works 
that  I  do  in  my  Father's  name,  these  bear  witness  of  me.  But 
ye  believe  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep.  My  sheep  hear 
my  voice,  aud  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me  :  aud  I  give  unto 
them  eternal  life  ;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  aud  no  one  shall 
snatch  them  out  of  my  hand. 

My  Father,  which  hath  given  them  unto  me,  is  greater  than  all ; 
and  no  one  is  able  to  suatch  them  out  of  the  Father's  hand.  I 
and  the  Father  are  one. 

The  Jews  took  ujp  stones  again  to  stone  him. 

Jesus  answered  them,  Mauy  good  works  have  I  shewed  you 
from  the  Father  ;  for  which  of  those  do  ye  stone  me  1 

The  Jews  answered  him,  For  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not 
but  for  blasphemy ;  aud  because  thou,  being  a  mau,  makest 
thyself  God. 

Jesus  answered  them.  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said  ye 
are  gods  ?  If  he  called  them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God 
came  (aud  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken),  say  ye  of  him,  whom 
the  Father  sanctified  and  sent  into  the  world.  Thou  blasphemest : 
because  I  said,  I  am  the  Sou  of  God  ?  If  I  do  not  the  works  of 
my  Father,  believe  me  not.  But  if  I  do  them,  though  ye  believe 
not  me,  believe  the  works :  that  ye  may  know  and  understand 
that  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  iu  the  Father. 

They  sought  again  to  take  him  :  and  he  went  forth  out  of  their 
haud. 

And  he  went  away  again  beyond  Jordan  into  the  place  where 
John  was  at  the  first  baptizing  ;  and  there  he  abode.  And  many 
came  unto  him  ;  and  they  said,  John  indeed  did  no  sign  ;  but  all 
things  whatsoever  John  spake  of  this  man  were  true. 

Aud  many  believed  on  him  there. 
John  X,  22-42.     Revised  Version. 


XXV 
AGAIN  A  EEFUGEE 

How  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  own  brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not ! 

— Luke  xiii.  34.     Revised  Version. 

The  Jordan  between  Him  and  His  Persecutors 
Once  more  the  Jordan  rolled  between  Him  and  His  bitter  per- 
secutors. Far  north,  over  against  Galilee,  in  the  place  of  John's 
early  labours,  probably  close  to  where  Jesus  Himself  had  been 
baptized,  was  the  scene  of  His  last  labours.  And  those,  who  so 
well  remembered  both  the  Baptist  and  the  testimony  which  he 
had  there  borne  to  the  Christ,  recalled  it  all  as  they  listened  to 
His  words  and  saw  His  works.  As  they  crowded  around  Him, 
both  the  difference  and  the  accord  between  John  and  Jesus  carried 
conviction  to  their  minds. 

The  Baptist  had  done  "no  signs"  such  as  those  which  Jesus 
wrought ;  but  all  things  which  John  had  spoken  of  Him,  they 
felt  it,  were  true.  And,  undisturbed  by  the  cavils  of  Pharisees 
and  scribes,  many  of  these  simple-minded,  true-hearted  men,  far 
away  from  Jerusalem,  believed  on  Him.  And  so  will  all  that  is 
sown  for  Christ,  though  it  lie  buried  and  forgotten  of  men,  spring 
up  and  ripen,  as  in  one  day,  to  the  deep,  grateful,  and  eternal 
joy  of  them  wiio  had  laboured  in  faith  and  gone  to  rest  in  hope. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  232. 

Crowds  Followed  Him  Even  in  Perea 
In  the  mean  time,  when  the  many  thousands  of  the  multitude 
were  gathered  together,  insomuch  that  they  trode  one  upon  an- 
other, he  began  to  say  unto  his  disciples  first  of  all. 

Beware  ye  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees,  which  is  hypocrisy. 
But  there  is  nothing  covered  up,  that  shall  not  be  revealed  :  and 
hid,  that  shall  not  be  known.  Wherefore  whatsoever  ye  have  said 
in  the  darkness  shall  be  heard  in  the  light ;  and  what  ye  have 

331 


832      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  ]\IAN 

spoken  in  the  ear  in  the  inner  chambers  shall  be  proclaimed  upon 
the  housetops. 

And  I  say  unto  you  my  friends,  Be  not  afraid  of  them  which 
kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do.  But 
I  will  warn  you  whom  ye  shall  fear :  Fear  him,  which  after  he 
hath  killed  hath  power  to  cast  into  hell ;  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  fear 
him.  Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings'?  and  not  one 
of  them  is  forgotten  in  the  sight  of  God.  But  the  very  hairs  of 
your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not :  ye  are  of  more  value 
than  many  sparrows. 

And  I  say  unto  you.  Every  one  who  shall  confess  me  before 
men,  him  shall  the  Son  of  man  also  confess  before  the  angels  of 
God  :  but  he  that  denieth  me  in  the  presence  of  men  shall  be 
denied  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God.  And  every  one  who 
shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  man,  it  shall  be  forgiven 
him  :  but  unto  him  that  blasi^hemeth  against  the  Holy  Ghost  it 
shall  not  be  forgiven.  And  when  they  bring  you  before  the 
synagogues,  and  the  rulers,  and  the  authorities,  be  not  anxious 
how  or  what  ye  shall  answer,  or  what  ye  shall  say  :  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  shall  teach  you  in  that  very  hour  what  ye  ought  to  say. 
Luke  xii.  1-12.     Revised  Version. 

''The  Last  State  Is  Worse  Than  the  First** 

The  unclean  spirit  when  he  is  gone  out  of  the  man,  passeth 
through  waterless  places,  seeking  rest ;  and  finding  none,  he  saith, 
I  will  turn  back  unto  my  house  whence  I  came  out.  And  when 
he  is  come,  he  fiudeth  it  swept  and  garnished.  Then  goeth  he, 
and  taketh  to  him  seven  other  spirits  more  evil  than  himself; 
and  they  enter  in  and  dwell  there  :  and  the  last  state  of  that  man 
becometh  worse  than  the  first. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  said  these  things,  a  certain  woman 
out  of  the  multitude  lifted  up  her  voice,  and  said  unto  him, 
Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  thee,  and  the  breasts  which  thou 
didst  suck. 

But  he  said.  Yea  rather,  blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  word  of 
God,  and  keep  it. 

And  when  the  multitudes  were  gathering  together  unto  him,  he 
began  to  say.  This  generation  is  an  evil  generation  :  it  seeketh 
after  a  sign  ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  to  it  but  the  sign  of 


AGAIN  A  REFUGEE      ,  333 

Jonah.  For  even  as  Jonah  became  a  sign  unto  the  Ninevites,  so 
shall  also  the  Son  of  man  be  to  this  generation.  The  queen  of  the 
south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judgment  with  the  men  of  this  genera- 
tion, and  shall  condemn  them  :  for  she  came  from  the  ends  of  the 
earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomou  ;  and  behold,  a  greater  than 
Solomon  is  here. 

The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  stand  up  in  the  judgment  with  this 
generation,  and  shall  condemn  it :  for  they  repented  at  the  preach- 
ing of  Jonah  ;  and  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonah  is  here. 
Luke  xi.  24-32.     Revised  Version. 

The  Story  of  the  Rich  Fool 

And  one  out  of  the  multitude  said  unto  him.  Master,  bid  my 
brother  divide  the  inheritance  with  me. 

But  he  said  unto  him,  Man,  who  made  me  a  judge  or  a  divider 
over  you  ? 

And  he  said  unto  them.  Take  heed,  and  keep  yourselves  from 
all  coveteousness  :  for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the  abun- 
dance of  the  things  which  he  possesseth. 

And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying.  The  ground  of  a 
certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully  :  and  he  reasoned  with 
himself,  saying,  "What  shall  I  do,  because  I  have  not  where  to 
bestow  my  fruits  % 

And  he  said.  This  will  I  do  :  I  will  pull  down  my  barns,  and 
build  greater  ;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my  corn  and  my  goods. 
And  I  will  say  to  my  soul.  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up 
for  many  years  ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  be  merry. 

But  God  said  unto  him.  Thou  foolish  one,  this  night  is  thy  soul 
required  of  thee  ;   and  the  things  which  thou  hast  prepared, 
whose  shall  they  be  ?    So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for  him- 
self, and  is  not  rich  toward  God. 
Luke  xii.  13-21.     Revised  Version. 

*'  This  Night  Thy  Soul  Shall  Be  Required !  *' 
Jesus  is  accustomed  to  set  in  vivid  contrast  the  appearances  of 
the  present  and  the  realities  of  the  future.  It  is  this  contrast 
which  invests  with  a  singular  awe  the  simple  story  of  the  rich 
fool.  He  is  a  well-to-do  and  worldly-wise  Perean  farmer.  He 
has  abundant  land.     His  barns  are  bursting  with  plenty.     His 


334      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

stores  perplex  him.     "What  shall  I  do,"  he  says  to  himself, 
"  because  I  have  uo  room  where  to  bestow  my  fruits  ? " 

This  is  a  very  common  trouble  among  capitalists.  He  does 
not  know  how  to  invest.  He  forms  his  resolution  to  pull  down 
his  barns  and  build  greater.  The  thought  of  the  needy  and  the 
suffering,  and  of  the  means  of  real  usefulness  to  others  which  his 
possessions  afford  to  him,  has  never  occurred  to  his  selfish  soul. 
He  has  no  other  message  to  himself  than  "Take  thine  ease  ;  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry."  He  will,  that  is,  retire  on  his  fortune. 
To  men  he  seems  wise,  prudent,  sagacious.  God  calls  him  to  his 
account  with  a  sharp  rebuke  of  his  folly  :  "  Fool  !  this  night  thy 
soul  shall  be  required  of  thee.  Then  whose  shall  those  things  be 
which  thou  hast  provided  !  "  Not  every  one  is  wise  who  knows 
how  to  acquire.  He  is  truly  wise  only  who  knows  how  to  im- 
part. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  360. 

Wealth  Not  a  Crime  bat  a  Tfost 
A  great  party,  called  the  Ebionite,  existed,  whose  peculiar 
tenet  was  the  divine  privilege  of  poverty.  To  this  party  Christ 
was  attracted  both  by  His  sympathies  and  His  experience.  He 
had  lived  a  poor  man's  life,  He  knew  the  kind  of  virtues  which 
it  fostered,  and  He  knew  how  painful  was  the  contempt  that  it 
endured.  The  poor  needed  a  champion,  and  He  esteemed  such 
championship  a  duty  and  a  privilege.  Thus  He  claims  as  one 
of  the  original  features  of  His  ministry  that  the  poor  have  the 
Gospel  preached  to  them,  and  it  is  a  theme  of  joyous  congratulation 
with  the  Evangelists  that  the  common  peoj^le  heard  Him  gladly. 

Yet  here  again  the  fine  tolerance  of  Christ's  mind  should  be 
noticed.  He  was  not  an  Ebionite  any  more  than  He  was  an 
ascetic.  He  knew  that  His  kingdom  would  naturally  appeal 
more  powerfully  to  the  poor  than  to  the  rich,  and  would  be 
largely  composed  of  them  ;  but  He  never  defined  in  such  a  way 
as  to  exclude  the  wealthy.  He  offers  uo  objection  to  the  in- 
equalities of  society  as  such.  He  utters  no  sweeping  condemna- 
tions of  wealth  as  in  itself  evil.  He  treats  the  possession  of 
wealth  not  as  a  crime  but  as  a  trust.  He  points  out  with  equal 
truth  and  justice  that  the  peril  of  riches  is  their  "  deceitful ness." 
The  Life  of  Christ,  William  J.  Dawsou,  p.  79. 


AGAIN  A  REFUGEE  335 

Trust  the  Father  and  Be  Ready 

And  lie  said  unto  his  disciples,  Therefore  I  say  uuto  you,  Be 
not  auxious  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat ;  uor  yet  for  your 
body,  what  ye  shall  put  ou.  For  the  soul  is  more  than  the  food, 
aud  the  body  thau  the  raimeut.  Consider  the  ravens,  that  they 
sow  not,  neither  reap  ;  which  have  no  store-chamber  nor  barn ; 
aud  God  feedeth  them  :  of  how  much  more  value  are  ye  than  the 
birds  !  And  which  of  you  by  being  anxious  can  add  a  cubit  unto 
the  measure  of  his  life  ?  If  then  ye  are  not  able  to  do  even  that 
which  is  least,  why  are  ye  anxious  concerning  the  rest  ? 

Consider  the  lilies,  how  they  grow  :  they  toil  not,  neither  do 
they  spin  ;  yet  I  say  unto  you,  Even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  But  if  God  doth  so  clothe  the 
grass  in  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  aud  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the 
oven  ;  how  much  more  shall  he  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ? 

And  seek  not  ye  what  ye  shall  eat,  and  what  ye  shall  drink, 
neither  be  ye  of  doubtful  mind.  For  all  these  things  do  the  na- 
tions of  the  world  seek  after  :  but  your  Father  kuoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  these  things. 

Howbeit  seek  ye  his  kingdom,  and  these  things  shall  be  added 
uuto  you. 

Fear  not,  little  flock  ;  for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to 
give  you  the  kingdom. 

Sell  that  which  ye  have,  and  give  alms  ;  make  for  yourselves 
purses  which  wax  not  old,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens  that  faileth 
not,  where  no  thief  draweth  near,  neither  moth  destroyeth. 

For  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also. 

Let  your  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lamps  burning  ;  and 
be  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men  looking  for  their  lord,  when  he 
shall  return  from  the  marriage  feast  ;  that,  when  he  cometh  and 
kuocketh,  they  may  straightway  open  unto  him. 

Blessed  are  those  servants,  whom  the  lord  when  he  cometh  shall 
find  watching  :  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  shall  gird  himself, 
aud  make  them  sit  down  to  meat,  aud  shall  come  aud  serve  them. 

And  if  he  shall  come  in  the  second  watch,  aud  if  in  the  third, 
and  find  them  so,  blessed  are  those  servants.  But  know  this, 
that  if  the  master  of  the  house  had  known  iu  what  hour  the  thief 
was  comiug,  he  would  have  watched,  and  not  have  left  his  house 
to  be  broken  through. 


336      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Be  ye  also  ready  :  for  in  an  hour  that  ye  think  not  the  Son  of 
man  cometh. 

Luke  xii.  22-40.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

Much  Required  from  Those  to  Whom  Much  Has  Been  Given 

And  Peter  said,  Lord,  speakest  thou  this  parable  unto  us,  or 
even  unto  all  ? 

And  the  Lord  said,  Who  then  is  the  faithful  and  wise  steward, 
whom  his  lord  shall  set  over  his  household,  to  give  them  their 
portion  of  food  in  due  season  ?  Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom 
his  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find  so  doing.  Of  a  truth  I  say 
unto  you,  that  he  will  set  him  over  all  that  he  hath.  But  if  that 
servant  shall  say  in  his  heart,  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming  ;  and 
shall  begin  to  beat  the  menservants  and  the  maidservants,  and  to 
eat  and  drink  and  be  drunken  ;  the  lord  of  that  servant  shall 
come  in  a  day  when  he  especteth  not,  and  in  an  hour  when  he 
knoweth  not,  and  shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  his  portion 
with  the  unfaithful.  And  that  servant,  which  knew  his  lord's 
will,  and  made  not  ready,  nor  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be 
beaten  with  many  stripes  ;  but  he  that  knew  not,  and  did  things 
worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes. 

And  to  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him  shall  much  be  re- 
quired :  and  to  whom  they  commit  much,  of  him  will  they  ask 
the  more. 

I  came  to  cast  fire  upon  the  earth  ;  and  what  will  I  if  it  is  al- 
ready kindled  ?  But  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with  ;  and 
how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished  ! 

Think  ye  that  I  am  come  to  give  peace  in  the  earth  ?  I  tell 
you,  Nay  ;  but  rather  division  :  for  there  shall  be  from  hence- 
forth, five  in  one  house  divided,  three  against  two,  and  two 
against  three.  They  shall  be  divided,  father  against  son,  and  son 
against  father  ;  mother  against  daughter,  and  daughter  against 
her  mother  ;  mother  in  law  against  her  daughter  in  law,  and 
daughter  in  law  against  her  mother  in  law. 
Luke  xii.  41-53.     Revised  Version. 

Exciting  Times  in  Galilee 
The  times  moreover,  were  exciting.     The  whole  country  rang 
with  the  story  of  a  massacre  of  Galileans  by  Pilate,  at  the  last 


AGAIN  A  EEFUGEE  337 

Feast  of  Tabernacles — perhaps,  at  the  same  tumult  in  which 
Joseph  Barabbas  was  arrested  as  a  ringleader,  to  be  afterwards 
freed  instead  of  Jesus.  Pilate  was  always  ready  to  shed  the  blood 
of  a  people  he  hated,  and  the  hot-blooded  Galileans,  ever  ready 
to  take  affront  at  the  hated  infidels,  gave  him  only  too  many 
excuses  for  violence.  They  had  a  standing  grievance  in  the  sacri- 
fices offered  daily  for  the  empire  and  the  emperor,  and  at  the 
presence  of  a  Eoman  garrison  and  Eoman  pickets  at  the  Temple, 
during  the  feasts,  to  keep  the  peace,  as  Turkish  soldiers  do  at  this 
day,  during  Easter,  at  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

But  Pilate  had  given  special  offence,  at  this  time,  by  appropri- 
ating part  of  the  treasures  of  the  Temple,  derived  from  the  Temple 
tax  levied  on  all  Jews  over  the  world,  and  amounting  to  vast 
sums  in  the  aggregate — to  defray  the  cost  of  great  conduits  he  had 
begun  for  the  better  supply  of  Jerusalem  with  water.  Stirred  up 
by  the  priests  and  rabbis,  the  people  had  besieged  the  govern- 
ment house  when  Pilate  came  up  to  the  city  at  the  feast,  and  with 
loud  continuous  cries  had  demanded  that  the  works  be  given  up. 
Seditious  words  against  himself,  the  representative  of  the  emperor, 
had  not  been  wanting.  He  had  more  than  once  been  forced  to 
yield  to  such  clamour,  but  this  time  determined  to  put  it  down. 
Numbers  of  soldiers,  in  plain  clothes,  and  armed  only  with  clubs, 
surrounded  the  vast  mob,  and  used  their  cudgels  so  remorselessly 
that  many,  both  of  the  innocent  and  guilty,  were  left  dead  on  the 
spot. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cauningbara  Geikie,  D.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p.  166. 

How  Pilate  Put  an  End  to  an  Uprising 
Pilate  undertook  to  bring  a  current  of  water  to  Jerusalem,  and  did 
it  with  the  sacred  money,  and  derived  the  origin  of  the  stream  from 
the  distance  of  two  hundred  fui^longs.  However,  the  Jews  were  not 
pleased  with  what  had  been  done  about  the  water  ;  and  many  ten 
thousands  of  the  people  got  together  and  made  a  clamour  against 
him,  and  insisted  that  he  should  leave  off  that  design.  Some  of 
them  also  used  reproaches  and  abused  the  man,  as  crowds  of  such 
people  usually  do.  So  he  inhabited  a  great  number  of  his  soldiers 
in  their  habit,  who  carried  daggers  under  their  garments,  and 
sent  them  to  a  place  where  they  might  surround  them.  So  he  bid 
the  Jews  himself  go  away  ;  but  they  boldly  casting  reproaches 


338      THE  STOHY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

upon  him,  he  gave  the  soldiers  that  signal  which  had  beforehaud 
beeu  agreed  upou  ;  who  laid  upon  them  much  greater  blows  than 
Pilate  had  commanded  them,  and  equally  punished  those  that 
were  tumultuous,  and  those  that  were  not ;  nor  did  they  spare 
them  in  the  least  ;  and  since  the  people  were  unarmed,  and  were 
caught  by  men  prepared  for  what  they  were  about,  there  were  a 
great  number  of  them  slain  by  this  means,  aud  others  of  them  ran 
away  wounded.     And  thus  an  end  was  put  to  this  sedition. 

The  Works  of  Flavins  Josephus,  edited  by  William  Whistou,  A.M.,  Vol.  II. 
Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  Book  XVIII,  Chapter  iii,  p.  44. 

"When  the  Tower  of  Sfloam  Fell 
But  the  procurator  had  this  time  prepared  himself  beforehand. 
He  had  scattered  numbers  of  his  soldiers,  dressed  as  Jews,  among 
the  crowds,  aud  no  sooner  had  the  tumultuous  cries  began,  than 
these  assailed  those  round  them  with  clubs,  and  speedily  drove 
them  off  in  wild  terror,  leaving  many  of  their  number,  severely 
wounded,  behind.  Perhaps  it  was  about  this  time,  when  the 
works  had  beeu  pushed  almost  to  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  that  the 
tower,  there,  fell  and  killed  eighteen  men  ;  a  calamity  attributed 
by  the  rabbis  to  the  wrath  of  God  at  the  secularisation  of  the 
Temple  treasures.  Pilate's  aqueduct  suffered  no  more  hindrance 
in  its  completion. 

Tlie  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  281. 

Those  Eighteen  Were  Not  Special  Offenders 

Now  there  were  some  present  at  that  very  season  which  told  him 
of  the  Galileans,  whose  blood  Pilate  had  mingled  with  their  sacri- 
fices. 

Aud  he  answered  aud  said  unto  them.  Think  ye  that  these 
Galileans  were  sinners  above  all  the  Galileans,  because  they  have 
suffered  these  things?  I  tell  you,  Nay  :  but,  except  ye  repeut,  ye 
shall  all  in  like  manner  perish. 

Or  those  eighteen,  upon  whom  the  tower  of  Siloam  fell,  and 
killed  them,  think  ye  that  they  were  offenders  above  all  the  men 
that  dwell  in  Jerusalem  ?  I  tell  you,  Nay  :  but  except  ye  repent, 
ye  shall  all  likewise  perish. 

And  he  spake  his  parable  ;  A  certain  man  had  a  fig  tree  planted 
in  his  vineyard ;  aud  he  came  seeking  fruit  thereon,  and  found 


AGAIN  A  REFUGEE  389 

noue.  And  lie  said  iiuto  the  vinedresser,  Behold,  these  three 
years  I  coine  seeking  fruit  on  this  fig  tree,  and  find  none:  cut  it 
down  ;  why  doth  it  also  cumber  the  ground? 

And  he  answering  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  let  it  alone  this  year 
also,  till  I  shall  dig  about  it,  and  dung  it :  and  if  it  bear  fruit 
tlienceforth,  well ;  but  if  not,  thou  shalt  cut  it  down. 
Luke  xiii.  1-9.    Revised  Version, 

Straightens  a  "Woman  Doubled  Together  for  Eighteen  Years 

And  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  synagogues  on  the  sabbath 
day.  And  behold,  a  woman  that  had  a  spirit  of  infirmity  eight- 
een years  ;  and  she  was  bowed  together,  and  could  in  no  wise  lift 
lierself  up. 

And  when  Jesus  saw  her,  he  called  her,  and  said  unto  her, 
Woman,  thou  art  loosed  from  thine  infirmity.  And  he  laid  his 
hands  upon  her :  and  immediately  she  was  made  straight,  and 
glorified  God. 

And  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  being  moved  with  indignation 
because  Jesus  had  healed  on  the  sabbath,  answered  and  said  to 
the  multitude.  There  are  six  days  in  which  men  ought  to  work  ; 
in  them  therefore  come  and  be  healed,  and  not  on  the  day  of  the 
sabbath. 

But  the  Lord  answered  him,  and  said.  Ye  hypocrites,  doth  not 
each  one  of  you  on  the  sabbath  loose  his  ox  or  his  ass  from  the 
manger,  and  lead  him  away  to  watering  ? 

And  ought  not  this  woman,  being  a  daughter  of  Abraham, 
wliom  Satan  had  bound,  lo,  these  eighteen  years,  to  have  been 
Io(ised  from  this  bond  on  the  day  of  the  sabbath? 

And  as  he  said  these  things,  all  his  adversaries  were  put  to 
shame  :  and  all  the  multitude  rejoiced  for  all  the  glorious  things 
that  were  done  by  him. 

Luke  xiii.  10-17.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

*'  Lord,  Are  They  Few  That  Are  Saved  ?'* 

And  he  went  on  his  way  through  cities  and  villages,  teaching, 
and  journeying  on  unto  Jerusalem. 

And  one  said  unto  him,  Lord  are  they  few  that  are  saved  ? 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Strive  to  enter  in  by  the  narrow  door  : 


840      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

for  many,  I  say  mito  you,  sliall  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be 
able. 

When  once  the  master  of  the  house  is  risen  up,  and  hath  shut 
the  door,  and  ye  begin  to  stand  without,  and  to  knock  at  the  door, 
sayiug.  Lord,  open  to  us  ;  and  he  shall  answer  and  say  unto  you, 
I  know  not  whence  ye  are ;  then  shall  ye  begin  to  say,  We  did  eat 
and  drink  in  thy  presence,  and  thou  didst  teach  in  our  streets  ; 
and  he  shall  say,  I  tell  you,  I  know  not  whence  ye  are  ;  depart 
from  me,  all  ye  workers  of  iniquity.  There  shall  be  the  weeping 
and  gnashing  of  teeth,  when  ye  shall  see  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  your- 
selves cast  forth  without. 

And  they  shall  come  from  the  east  and  west,  and  from  the  north 
and  south,  and  shall  sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  behold, 
there  are  last  who  shall  be  first,  and  there  are  first  who  shall  be 
last. 

Luke  xiii.  22-30.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

A  New  Danger  Threatened  Him 

A  new  danger  threatened  in  the  person  of  Herod.  The  fame 
of  Jesus  reached  the  palace  of  the  tetrarch,  and  filled  him  with 
terror.  His  declaration  to  his  servants  is  a  revelation  of  that  ter- 
ror. He  imagined  that  John  the  Baptist  was  risen  from  the 
dead. 

In  this  connection  Matthew  tells  the  story  of  Herod's  relation 
to  John,  in  explanation  of  the  terror  which  filled  him  when  the 
report  concerning  Jesus  reached  him.  He  had  imprisoned  John, 
because  John  had  protested  against  his  incestuous  affection  for 
the  wife  of  his  brother.  This  action  on  the  part  of  Herod  is  seen 
to  have  been  the  more  dastardly  in  view  of  a  fact  which  JVIatthew 
does  not  record,  but  which  is  found  in  the  Gospel  of  Mark,  that 
Herod  knew  that  he  was  a  righteous  man  aud  a  holy,  and  that  in 
the  past  he  had  beard  him,  and  that  gladly.  Evidently  at  some 
period  he  had  passed  under  the  influence  of  John's  preaching,  and 
had  been  affected  toward  good  thereby.  In  spite  of  these  things 
lie  had  imprisoned  him,  but  at  first  dared  not  slay  him,  because 
he  feared  the  multitude. 

The  Analyzed  Bible,  the  Rev.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  D.  D.,  The  Gospel  Ac' 
cording  to  3Iattheio,  p.  160. 


AGAIN  A  REFUGEE  341 

**It  "Would  Not  Do  for  a  Prophet  to  Be  Murdered  Except 
at  Jerwsalem !  ** 

lu  that  very  hour  there  came  certain  Pharisees,  saying  to  him, 
Get  thee  out,  and  go  hence  :  for  Hei-ocl  would  fain  kill  thee.  And 
he  said  uuto  them.  Go  and  say  to  that  fox,  Behold,  I  cast  out 
demons  and  perform  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the  third 
day  I  end  my  course.  Nevertheless  I  must  go  on  my  way  to-day 
and  to-morrow  and  the  day  following :  for  it  cannot  be  that  a 
prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem. 

O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  that  killeth  the  prophets,  and  stoneth 
them  that  are  sent  unto  her !  how  often  would  I  have  gathered 
thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  own  brood 
under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not !  Behold  your  house  is  left 
uuto  you  desolate  :  and  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see  me,  until 
ye  shall  say.  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
Luke  xiii.  31-35.     American  Revision,  using  a  Marginal. 

He  Saw  through  the  Whole  Design 

Jesus  had  now  been  for  some  time  in  Perea,  in  the  territory  of 
Antipas,  the  murderer  of  John.  The  intense  unpopularity  of  the 
crime  had,  doubtless,  been  a  protection  to  Him,  but  there  were 
many  reasons  why  such  a  man  should  wish  the  great  Wonder- 
worker, whom  he  personally  feared  so  much,  as,  perhaps,  the 
murdered  Baptist,  risen  from  the  dead,  fairly  out  of  his  domin- 
ions. Unwilling  to  appear  in  the  matter,  he  used  the  Pharisees, 
counting  on  their  readiness  to  further  his  end  of  getting  rid  of 
Him.  Some  of  their  number,  therefore,  came  to  Him,  with  the 
air  of  friends  anxious  for  His  safety,  and  warned  Him  that  it 
would  be  well  for  Him  to  leave  Perea  as  quickly  as  possible,  as 
Herod  desired  to  kill  Him. 

Jesus  at  once  saw  through  the  whole  design,  as  a  crafty  plan  of 
Herod  for  His  expulsion.  But  He  was  on  His  way  to  Jerusalem, 
and  contented  Himself  with  showing  that  He  gave  no  grounds  for 
political  suspicion,  and  that  He  quite  well  understood  how  little 
frieudship  there  was  in  the  advice  the  Pharisees  had  given  Him. 

"Go  and  tell  that  crafty  fox,"  said  He,  "that  I  know  why  he 
is  afraid  of  me,  and  wishes  me  out  of  his  land.  Tell  him  there  is 
no  cause  for  his  alarm,  for  I  do  nothing  to  wake  his  suspicions. 


342      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

I  have  no  designs  that  can  iujure  him,  but  confine  myself  to 
driving  demons  from  i^oor  men  i^ossessed  with  them,  and  to  heal- 
ing the  sick.  These  harmless  labours  I  shall  not  intermit  till  the 
time  I  have  fixed  to  give  to  them  is  over.  It  will  take  three  days 
more  to  pass  quite  out  of  Perea,  and  for  these  three  days  I  shall 
be  in  his  territory,  but  on  the  third  day  I  leave  it,  for  I  am  now 
on  my  way  to  Jerusalem,  to  die  there.  Herod  will  not  need  to 
trouble  himself  to  kill  me,  for  it  would  be  unfitting  for  a  prophet 
to  die  outside  the  holy  city." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p,  343. 

A  Sabbath  Dinner  with  a  Leading  Pharisee 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  went  into  the  house  of  one  of  the 
rulers  of  the  Pharisees  on  a  sabbath  to  eat  bread,  that  they  were 
watching  him. 

And  behold,  there  was  before  him  a  certain  man  that  had  the 
dropsy. 

And  Jesus  answering  spake  unto  the  lawyers  and  Pharisees, 
saying,  Is  it  lawful  to  heal  on  the  sabbath,  or  not  ? 

But  they  held  their  peace.  And  he  took  him,  and  healed  him, 
and  let  him  go.  And  he  said  unto  them.  Which  of  you  shall 
have  an  ass  or  an  ox  fallen  into  a  well,  and  will  not  straightway 
draw  him  up  on  a  sabbath  day  f 

And  they  could  not  answer  again  unto  these  things. 

And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  those  which  were  bidden,  when  he 
marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief  seats ;  sayiug  unto  them, 
When  thou  art  bidden  of  any  man  to  a  marriage  feast,  recline  not 
in  the  chief  seat ;  lest  haply  a  more  honourable  man  than  thou  be 
bidden  of  him,  and  he  that  bade  thee  and  him  shall  come  and  say 
to  thee.  Give  this  man  place ;  and  then  thou  shalt  begin  with 
shame  to  take  the  lowest  place. 

But  when  thou  art  bidden,  go  and  sit  down  in  the  lowest  place ; 
that  when  he  that  hath  bidden  thoe  cometh,  he  may  say  to  thee, 
Friend,  go  up  higher  :  then  thon  shalt  have  glory  in  the  presence 
of  all  that  sit  at  meat  with  thee. 

For  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  humbled  ;  and  he 
that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  e?:alted. 

And  he  said  to  him  also  that  hi  1  bidden  him,  When  thou  makest 
a  dinner  or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy  brethren,  nor 


AGAIN  A  REFUGEE  343 

thy  kiusraeu,  nor  rich  neighbours  ;  lest  haply  they  also  bid  thee 
again,  and  a  recompense  be  made  thee. 

But  when  thou  makest  a  feast,  bid  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the 
lame,  the  blind  :  and  thou  sbalt  be  blessed  ;  because  they  have 
not  wherewith  to  recompense  thee  :  for  thou  shalt  be  recompensed 
in  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

And  when  one  of  them  that  sat  at  meat  with  him  heard  these 
things,  he  said  unto  him,  Blessed  is  he  that  shall  eat  bread  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

But  he  said  unto  him,  A  certain  man  made  a  great  supper ; 
and  he  bade  many  :  and  he  sent  forth  his  servant  at  supper  time 
to  say  to  them  that  were  bidden.  Come  ;  for  all  things  are  now 
ready.     And  they  all  with  one  consent  began  to  make  excuse. 

The  first  said  unto  him,  I  have  bought  a  field,  and  I  must  needs 
go  out  and  see  it :  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused. 

And  another  said,  I  have  bought  five  yoke  of  oxen,  and  I  go 
to  prove  them  :  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused. 

And  another  said,  I  have  married  a  wife,  and  therefore  I  can- 
not come. 

And  the  servant  came,  and  told  his  lord  these  things. 

Then  the  master  of  the  house  being  angry  said  to  his  servant, 
Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  and  bring 
hither  the  poor  and  maimed  and  blind  and  lame. 

And  the  servant  said.  Lord,  what  thou  didst  command  is  done, 
and  yet  there  is  room.  And  the  lord  said  unto  the  servant.  Go 
out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  constrain  them  to  come 
in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled.  For  I  say  unto  you,  none  of 
those  men  that  were  bidden  shall  taste  of  my  supper. 
Liike  xiv.  1-24.     Eevised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

No  Time  for  Moral  Snobs 
The  Democrat  of  Nazareth  was  so  ultra  in  his  democracy  that 
he  could  not  away  with  caste  of  any  kind.  He  had  no  time  for 
moral  snobs,  any  more  than  for  social  snobs.  The  fellowship  to 
which  he  invited  took  in  the  outcasts.  He  likened  it  to  a  wedding 
supper:  "So  those  servants  went  out  into  the  highways  and 
gathered  together  all  as  many  as  they  found,  both  bad  and  good ; 
and  the  wedding  was  furnished  with  guests  !  " 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  118. 


344      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Counting  the  Cost 

Now  there  went  with  him  great  multitudes  :  and  he  turned,  and 
said  unto  them, 

If  any  man  cometh  unto  me,  and  hateth  not  his  own  father, 
and  mother,  and  wife,  and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters, 
yea,  and  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.  Whosoever 
doth  not  bear  his  own  cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my 
disciple. 

For  which  of  you,  desiring  to  build  a  tower,  doth  not  first  sit 
down  and  count  the  cost,  whether  he  have  wherewith  to  complete 
it  ?  Lest  haply,  when  he  hath  laid  a  foundation,  and  is  not  able 
to  finish,  all  that  behold  begin  to  mock  him,  saying.  This  man 
began  to  build,  and  was  not  able  to  finish. 

Or  what  king,  as  he  goeth  to  encounter  another  king  in  war, 
will  not  sit  down  first  and  take  counsel  whether  he  is  able  with 
ten  thousand  to  meet  him  that  cometh  against  him  with  twenty 
thousand  1  Or  else,  while  the  other  is  yet  a  great  way  off,  he 
sendeth  an  ambassage,  and  asketh  conditions  of  peace. 

So  therefore  whosoever  he  be  of  you  that  renounceth  not  all  that 
he  hath,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple. 
Luke  xiv.  25-33.     Revised  Version. 

**  Lift  up  Your  Eyes  and  Look  on  the  Fields !  ** 
''What  king,  going  to  make  war  against  another  king,  sitteth 
not  down  first  and  consul teth  whether  he  be  able  with  ten  thousand 
to  meet  him  that  cometh  with  twenty  thousand  ?  "  It  were  suicidal. 
Israel  need  not  take  up  the  gage  alone.  Wherever  Eome's  em- 
pire was  extending,  a  ground-swell  of  discontent  was  setting  in, 
a  tidal  heave  of  the  industrial  mass.  For  this  was  back  in  the 
formation  days  of  that  empire,  before  it  had  saddled  itself  firmly 
on  the  backs  of  the  people,  and  while  hope  was  yet  alive.  The 
hour  was  striking.  A  hundred  peoples  were  ready :  "  Say  not 
ye,  There  are  yet  four  months  and  then  cometh  harvest.  Behold, 
I  say  unto  you.  Lift  up  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields ;  for  they 
are  white  already  to  harvest." 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  88. 


XXVI 
THE  PAEABLES  IN  PEREA,  AND  OTHEE  SAYINGS 

Confirmiug  with  His  own  impress 
The  common  law  of  righteousness. 

—  Whittier. 

The  One  Lost  Lamb 

And  he  spake  unto  them  this  parable,  sayiug,  What  man  of 
you,  having  a  hundred  sheep,  and  having  lost  one  of  them,  doth 
not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilderness,  and  go  after  that 
which  is  lost,  until  he  find  it  ■?  And  when  he  hath  found  it,  he 
layeth  it  on  his  shoulders,  rejoicing. 

And  when  he  cometh  home,  he  calleth  together  his  friends  and 
his  neighbours,  saying  unto  them,  Eejoice  with  me,  for  I  have 
found  my  sheep  which  was  lost. 

I  say  uuto  you,  that  even  so  there  shall  be  joy  in  heaven  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth,  more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  right- 
eous persons,  who  need  no  repentance. 
Luke  XV.  3-7.     Ee vised  Version. 

The  Loving  Father  and  His  Wandering  Boy 

And  he  said,  "  A  certain  man  had  two  sons  :  and  the  younger 
of  them  said  to  his  father,  '  Father,  give  me  the  share  of  the  prop- 
erty that  falls  to  me.'     And  he  divided  his  living  between  them. 

"Not  many  days  after  that  the  younger  sou  gathered  all  to- 
gether, and  went  on  a  journey  to  a  distant  laud ;  and  there  he 
wasted  his  property  iu  dissolute  living. 

"And  when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  terrible  famine  in 
that  country  ;  and  he  began  to  be  in  want. 

"And  he  went  and  hired  himself  to  one  of  the  citizens  of  that 
country  :  who  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  the  hogs.  And  he 
was  longing  to  fill  himself  with  the  husks  that  the  hogs  were  eat- 
ing, but  no  one  gave  him  leave. 

"But  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,  'How  many  of  my 
father's  hired  servants  have  plenty  of  food,  while  I  am  perish- 

345 


346      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

ing  with  hunger  !  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  I  will 
say  to  him,  "Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heav^en,  and  before 
thee ;  I  am  no  longer  worthy  to  be  called  thy  sou  ;  make  me  as 
one  of  thy  hired  servants."  ' 

"  And  he  arose  and  went  to  his  father.  But  while  he  was  still 
a  loug  distance  away,  his  father  saw  him,  and,  full  of  sympathy, 
ran  aud  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him  ardently. 

"And  the  sou  said  to  him,  'Father,  I  have  sinned  against 
heaven,  and  before  thee.  I  am  no  longer  worthy  to  be  called 
thy  sou.' 

"But  the  father  said  to  his  servants,  'Bring  out  the  robe, — 
the  best ! — and  clothe  him  ;  and  bring  a  ring  for  his  hand,  and 
sandals  for  his  feet,  and  have  the  fattened  calf  brought  and  killed 
aud  let  us  eat,  and  be  merry  :  for  this  son  of  mine  was  dead,  and 
is  alive  again  ;  he  was  lost,  aud  is  found.' 

"And  they  began  to  be  merry. 

"  Now  his  older  son  was  in  a  field  ;  aud  as  he  came  up  near  the 
house,  he  heard  music  aud  dauciug.  Aud  he  called  one  of  his 
servants  to  him,  and  inquired  what  was  going  on. 

"  And  he  said  to  him,  '  Tliy  brother  has  come  ;  and  thy  father 
has  killed  the  fattened  calf  because  he  has  received  him  back  safe 
aud  sound.' 

"But  he  was  angry,  aud  would  not  go  in;  so  his  father 
came  out  and  pleaded  with  him.  But  he  answered  aud  said 
to  his  father,  '  Think  how  many  years  I  have  served  thee,  aud  I 
have  never  disobeyed  one  of  thy  commands  ;  and  still  thou  never 
gavest  7ne  a  kid,  that  I  might  make  merry  with  my  friends  :  but 
when  thy  sou, — this  one  ! — who  has  devoured  thy  living  with 
harlots,  came,  thou  didst  kill  the  fattened  calf  for  him!'' 

"And  the  father  said  to  him,  'Child,  thou  art  ever  with  me, 
and  all  that  is  mine  is  thine.  But  it  was  right  to  rejoice  and  be 
glad,  for  this  brother  of  thine  was  dead,  and  is  alive  agaiu  :  he 
was  lost  aud  is  found.'  " 

Luke  XV,  11-32.     A  literal  renderiug  f rom  the  Greek. 

Shows  the  Love  of  God  to  Man 
Never  certainly  in  human  language  was  so  much — such  a  world 
of  love  aud  wisdom  aud  tenderness — compressed  into  such  few 
immortal   words.     Every  line,  every  touch  of  the  picture  is  full 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  3-t7 

of  beautiful  eternal  siguificauce.  The  poor  boy's  presumptuous 
claim  for  all  that  life  could  give  him — the  leaving  of  the  old 
home— the  journey  to  a  far  country — the  brief  spasm  of  ''enjoy- 
ment "  there — the  mighty  famine  in  that  land — the  premature 
exhaustion  of  all  that  could  make  life  noble  and  endurable — the 
abysmal  degradation  and  unutterable  misery  that  followed— the 
coming  to  himself,  aud  recollection  of  all  that  he  had  left  behind 
him — the  return  in  heart-broken  penitence  and  deep  humility — 
the  father's  far-off  sight  of  him,  and  the  gush  of  compassion  and 
tenderness  over  this  poor  returning  prodigal — the  ringing  joy  of 
the  whole  household  over  him  who  had  been  loved  and  lost,  aud 
had  now  come  home — the  unjust  jealousy  and  mean  complaint 
of  the  elder  brother — and  then  that  close  of  the  parable  in  a 
strain  of  music — "Son,  thou  art  ever  with  me,  and  all  that  I 
have  is  thine.  It  was  meet  that  we  should  make  merry  and  be 
glad  :  for  this  thy  brother  was  dead  and  is  alive  again  ;  was  lost 
and  is  found  " — all  this  is  indeed  a  divine  epitome  of  the  wander- 
ing of  man  and  the  love  of  God  such  as  no  literature  has  ever 
equaled,  such  as  no  ear  of  man  has  ever  heard  elsewhere. 

Put  in  the  one  scale  all  that  Confucius,  or  Sakya  Mouni,  [the 
Buddha]  or  Zoroaster,  or  Socrates  ever  wrote  or  said — and  they 
wrote  and  said  many  beautiful  and  holy  words — and  put  in  the 
other  the  Parable  of  the  Prodigal  Sou  alone,  with  all  that  this 
single  parable  connotes  and  means,  aud  can  any  candid  spirit 
doubt  which  scale  would  outweigh  the  other  in  eternal  precious- 
ness — in  divine  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  man? 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  134. 

The  Steward  of  Unrighteousness 

Aud  he  said  also  to  his  disciples,  "  There  was  a  certain  rich  mau, 

who  had  a  steward  who  was  accused  to  him  of  wasting  his  property. 

"  And  he  called  him  and  said  to  him,  '  What  is  this  that  I  hear 

of  thee?    Render  an  account  of  thy  stewardship  ;  for  thou  canst 

be  no  longer  steward.' 

"  Aud  the  steward  said  within  himself,  'What  shall  I  do,  see- 
ing that  my  lord  is  taking  away  the  stewardship  from  me?  I 
have  not  the  strength  to  dig ;  and  I  am  ashamed  to  beg.  I  am 
resolved  what  to  do,  so  that,  when  I  am  put  out  of  the  steward- 
ship, they  may  receive  me  into  their  houses.' 


348      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

"  And  calling  to  him  each  one  of  his  lord's  debtors,  he  said  to 
the  first,  '  How  much  owest  thou  to  my  lord  ! ' 

"  And  he  said,  '  A  hundred  measures  of  oil.' 

"And  he  said,  'Take  thy  bond,  and  sit  down  quickly  and 
write  fifty.' 

"  Then  said  he  to  another,  *  And  how  much  owest  thou  ?' 

"  And  he  said,  '  A  hundred  measures  of  wheat.' 

"  He  said  to  him,  '  Take  thy  bill,  and  write  eighty.' 

''  And  his  lord  commended  the  steward  of  unrighteousuess  be- 
cause he  had  done  wisely  :  for  the  children  of  this  age  are  for 
their  own  generation  wiser  than  the  sons  of  the  light.  And  I  say 
to  you,  Make  for  yourselves  friends  by  means  of  the  mammon 
of  unrighteousness  ;  that,  when  it  shall  fail,  they  may  receive  you 
into  the  eternal  tabernacles. 

"  He  that  is  faithful  in  a  very  little  is  faithful  also  in  much  : 
and  he  that  is  unrighteous  in  a  very  little  is  unrighteous  also  in 
much. 

"Therefore  if  you  have  not  been  faithful  in  the  unrighteous 
mammon,  who  will  commit  to  your  trust  the  true  riches  ? 

"  And  if  you  have  not  been  faithful  in  that  which  is  another's, 
who  will  give  you  that  which  is  your  own  f  No  household  servant 
can  serve  two  masters  :  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love 
the  other  ;  or  he  will  hold  to  one,  and  despise  the  other.  You 
cannot  serve  God  and  mammon." 

And  the  Pharisees,  who  were  lovers  of  money,  heard  all  these 
things  ;  and  they  scoffed  at  him. 

And  he  said  to  them,  "You  are  the  ones  that  justify  yourselves 
in  the  sight  of  men  ;  but  God  knows  your  hearts  :  for  that  which 
is  exalted  among  men  is  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God. 

"The  law  and  the  prophets  were  until  John:  from  that  time 
the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every  man 
enters  violently  into  it.     But  it  is  easier  for  heaven  and  earth  to 
pass  away,  than  for  one  tittle  of  the  law  to  fall." 
Luke  xvi,  1-17.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Beggar  and  the  Rich  Man 
"  Now  there  was  a  certain  rich  man,  and  he  was  clothed  in 
purple  and  fine  linen,   fariug  sumptuously  every  day  :  and  a 
certain  beggar  named  Lazarus  was  laid  at  his  gate,  full  of  sores, 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  349 

aud  (lesiriug  to  be  fed  witli  tlie  crumbs  that  fell  from  the  rich 
man's  table  ;  yes,  even  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores. 

"  Aud  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  beggar  died,  and  that  he  was 
carried  away  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom  :  and  the  rich 
man  also  died,  and  was  buried. 

"And  in  Hades  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments,  and 
saw  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom. 

"  And  he  cried  and  said,  '  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me, 
aud  send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water, 
aud  cool  my  tongue ;  for  I  am  in  anguish  in  this  flame  ! ' 

"But  Abraham  said,  'Child,  remember  that  thou  in  thy  life- 
time received  thy  good  things,  and  Lazarus,  in  the  same  way,  evil 
things :  but  now  here  he  is  comforted,  and  thou  art  in  anguish. 
And  in  all  these  things  between  us  and  you  there  is  a  great  gulf 
fixed,  that  they  that  would  pass  from  here  to  you  may  not  be  able, 
and  that  none  may  cross  over  from  there  to  us.' 

"  And  he  said,  '  I  pray  thee  therefore,  father,  that  thou  wouldst 
send  him  to  my  father's  house  ;  for  I  have  five  brothers,  that 
he  may  warn  them,  lest  they  also  come  into  this  place  of  tor- 
ment.' 

"But  Abraham  said,  'They  have  Moses  aud  the  prophets  ;  let 
them  hear  them.' 

"And  he  said,  'Ko,  Father  Abraham:  but  if  one  should  go 
to  them  from  the  dead,  they  would  repent. ' 

"And  he  said  to  him,  'If  they  do  not  hear  Moses  and  the 
prophets,  they  would  not  be  persuaded  even  if  one  should  rise 
from  the  dead.'  " 

Luke  xvi.  19-31.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

Dives  Awoke  to  the  Mistake  He  Had  Made 
.  .  .  Dives  .  .  awoke  to  the  mistake  he  had  made,  de- 
sirous to  send  from  hell  and  tell  his  five  brothers  to  use  the  family 
fortune  in  erecting  a  "  Dives  Home  for  the  Hungry,"  belike  with 
the  family  name  and  coat  of  arms  over  the  front  portal.  Jesus 
would  concede  no  such  privilege.  He  referred  those  "five 
brethren"  to  Moses  and  the  prophets;  let  them  hear  them  " — 
Moses  being  the  leader  of  the  labour  movement  which  had  given 
to  the  slaves  in  the  Goshen  brick-yards  their  long-deferred  rights  ; 
and  the  prophets  being  those  ardent  Old  Testament  tribunes  of 


350      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

the  people  who  had  so  hotly  couteuded  for  the  family  idea  of 
society  against  the  exploiters  and  grasi)ers  at  the  top. 

Dante's  idea  that  each  sin  ou  earth  fashions  its  own  projier 
punishment  in  hell  receives  confirmation  in  this  parable.  "The 
great  gulf  fixed,"  which  constituted  Dives's  hell,  Mas  the  gulf 
which  he  himself  had  brought  about.  For  the  private  fortune  he 
amassed  had  broken  up  the  solidarity  of  society — had  introduced 
into  it  a  chasm  both  broad  and  deep.  The  gulf  between  him  and 
Lazarus  in  this  world  exists  in  the  world  to  come  to  plague  him. 
The  thirst  which  parched  Dives's  tongue,  "  being  in  torments," 
was  the  thirst  for  companionship,  the  healing  contact  once  more 
with  his  fellows,  from  whom  his  fortune  had  sundered  him  like  a 
butcher's  cleaver. 

Jesus  had  so  exalted  a  notion  of  the  working  class,  their  ab- 
sence of  cant,  their  rugged  facing  of  facts,  their  elemental  simplic- 
ities, their  first-hand  contact  with  the  realities  of  life,  that  he 
regarded  any  man  who  should  draw  himself  off  from  them  in  a 
fancied  superiority,  as  immeasurably  the  loser  thereby,  and  as 
putting  himself  "in  torments." 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  138. 

**  We  Are  Only  Unprofitable  Slaves  I  ** 
And  he  said  to  his  disciples,  "It  is  impossible  but  that  occa- 
sions of  stumbling  should  come  :  but  woe  to  him,  through  whom 
they  come  !  It  would  be  well  for  him  if  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck,  and  he  Mere  thrown  into  the  sea,  rather  than 
that  he  should  cause  one  of  these  little  ones  to  stumble. 

"  Take  heed  to  yourselves :  if  thy  brother  sin,  rebuke  him  j 
and  if  he  repent,  forgive  him.  And  if  he  sin  against  thee  seven 
times  in  the  day,  and  seven  times  turn  again  to  thee,  saying,  '  I 
repent ; '  thou  shalt  forgive  him." 

And  the  apostles  said  to  the  Lord,  "  Increase  our  faith." 
And  the  Lord  said,  "If  you  had  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed,  you  would  say  to  this  mustard  tree,  '  Be  rooted  up,  and  be 
plauted  in  the  sea  ;  '  and  it  would  obey  you. 

"  But  who  is  there  of  you,  having  a  servant  plowing  or  keeping- 
sheep,  that  will  say  to  him,  when  he  is  come  in  from  the  field, 
'  Come  at  once  and  sit  down  to  meat ; '  and  will  not  rather  say  to 
him,  '  Get  me  something  for  supper,  and  gird  thyself,  and  serve 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  351 

me,  till  I  have  eaten  and  diauk  ;  aud  afterward  thou  shalt  eat 
aud  driuk  ? ' 

"Does  he  thauk  the  servant  because  he  did  the  things  that 

were  commanded  *?    Just  so  you  also,  when  you  shall  have  done  all 

the  things  that  are  commanded  you,  say,  '  We  are  unprofitable 

bondservants  ;  we  have  done  that  which  it  was  our  duty  to  do.'  " 

Luke  xvii.  1-10.     Revised  Versiou,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Kingdom  Is  in  Your  Midst 

And  being  asked  by  the  Pharisees,  when  the  kingdom  of  God 
Cometh,  he  auswered  them  and  said,  The  kingdom  of  God  cometh 
not  with  observ^ation  :  neither  shall  they  say,  Lo,  here  :  or,  There! 
for  lo,  the  kiugdom  of  God  is  in  the  midst  of  you. 

Aud  he  said  unto  the  disciples,  The  days  will  come,  when  ye 
shall  desire  to  see  one  of  the  days  of  the  Sou  of  man,  and  ye  shall 
not  see  it : 

And  they  shall  say  to  you,  Lo,  there  !  Lo,  here  !  go  not  away, 
nor  follow  after  them  :  for  as  the  lightning,  when  it  lighteueth 
out  of  one  part  under  the  heaven,  shineth  unto  the  other  part 
under  heaven  ;  so  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  in  his  day.  But  first 
must  he  suffer  many  things  and  be  rejected  of  this  generation. 

Aud  as  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Noah,  even  so  shall  it  be 
also  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.  They  ate,  they  drank,  they 
married,  they  were  given  in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noah 
entered  into  the  ark,  and  the  flood  came,  and  destroyed  them. 

Likewise  even  as  it  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Lot ;  they  ate, 
they  drank,  they  bought,  they  sold,  they  planted,  they  builded ; 
but  in  the  day  that  Lot  went  out  from  Sodom  it  rained  fire  and 
brimstone  from  heaven,  aud  destroyed  them  all :  after  the  same 
manner  shall  it  be  in  the  day  that  the  Son  of  man  is  revealed. 
In  that  day,  he  that  shall  be  on  the  housetop,  and  his  goods  in 
the  house,  let  him  not  go  down  to  take  them  away  :  and  let  him 
that  is  in  the  field  likewise  not  return  back.  Remember  Lot's 
wife.  Whosoever  shall  seek  to  gain  his  life  shall  lose  it :  but 
whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  shall  i)reserve  it. 

I  say  unto  you,  In  that  night  there  shall  be  two  men  on  one 
bed  ;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  shall  be  left.  There 
shall  be  two  women  grinding  together ;  the  one  shall  be  taken, 
aud  the  other  shall  be  left. 


852      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Aud  they  answering  say  unto  him,  Where,  Lordl  And  he 
said  unto  them,  Where  the  body  is,  thither  will  the  vultures  also 
be  gathered  together. 

Luke  xvii.  20-37.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican 

And  he  spoke  also  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  trusted  in 
themselves  that  they  were  righteous  and  despised  the  rest,  this 
parable : 

"Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray  :  the  one  a  Phari- 
see, and  the  other  a  tax-collector. 

"The  Pharisee,  standing,  was  praying  thus  to  himself,  'God,  I 
thank  thee  that  I  am  uot  like  the  rest  of  men,  rapacious,  unright- 
eous, adulterers,  or  even  like  this  publican  !  I  fast  twice  in  the 
week  ;  I  tithe  everything  I  gain.' 

"But  the  publican,  standing  afar  off,  would  not  even  lift  up 
the  eyes  to  heaven,  but  was  striking  his  breast,  saying,  '  God  be 
merciful  to  me  the  sinner  ! ' 

"  I  tell  you,  this  man  went  down  justified  to  his  house  rather 
than  that  other.     For  every  one  who  exalts  himself  shall  be 
humbled  :  but  he  that  humbles  himself  shall  be  exalted." 
Luke  xviii.  9-14.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

One  Went  to  Brag,  the  Other  to  Pray 

Two  went  to  pray  ?    O,  rather  say, 
One  went  to  brag,  the  other  to  pray  ; 

One  stands  up  close  aud  treads  on  high, 
Where  the  other  dares  not  lend  his  eye  ; 

One  nearer  to  God's  altar  trod, 
The  other  to  the  altar's  God. 

Two  Went  up  to  the  Temple  to  Prny,  Richard  Crashaw,  A  New  Library  of 
Poetry  and  Song,  edited  by  William  CuUen  Bryant,  p.  362. 

**  Whatever  Is  Right  I  Will  Pay  You*' 
For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  a  house- 
holder, who  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire  labourers  into 
his  vineyard. 

And  when  he  had  agreed  with  the  labourers  for  a  shilling  a  day, 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  353 

he  seut  them  into  his  vineyard.  And  he  went  out  about  the  third 
hour,  and  saw  others  standing  in  the  marketplace  idle ;  and  to 
them  he  said,  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard,  and  whatsoever  is 
right  I  will  give  you.     And  they  went  their  way. 

Again  he  went  out  about  the  sixth  and  the  ninth  hour,  and  did 
likewise. 

And  about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out,  and  found  others 
standing  ;  and  he  saith  unto  them,  Why  stand  ye  here  all  the  day 
idle? 

They  say  unto  him,  Because  no  man  hath  hired  us. 

He  saith  unto  them,  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard. 

And  when  even  was  come,  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  saith  unto 
his  steward.  Call  the  labourers,  and  pay  them  tlieir  hire,  beginning 
from  the  last  unto  the  first. 

And  when  they  came  that  were  hired  about  the  eleventh  hour, 
they  received  every  man  a  shilling. 

And  when  the  first  came,  they  supposed  that  they  would  receive 
more  ;  and  they  likewise  received  every  man  a  shilling. 

And  when  they  had  received  it,  they  murmured  against  the 
householder,  saying.  These  last  have  spent  but  one  hour,  and  thou 
hast  made  them  equal  unto  us,  who  have  borne  the  burden  of  the 
day  and  the  scorching  heat. 

But  he  answered  and  said  to  one  of  them.  Friend,  I  do  thee  no 
wrong:  didst  not  thou  agree  with  me  for  a  shilling'?  Take  up 
that  which  is  thine,  and  go  thy  way ;  it  is  my  will  to  give  unto 
this  last,  even  as  unto  thee.  Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I 
will  with  mine  own  ?     Or  is  thine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good  ? 

So  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last. 
Matthew  x-s..  1-16.     Revised  Version,  usiug  Marginals. 

**No  Duties  withowt  Rights,  No  Rights  without  Duties** 
At  the  same  time  that  he  castigated  the  privileged  orders,  The 
Carj)euter  was  at  pains  to  point  out  that  workingmen  have  obli- 
gations. The  kingdom  of  self-respect  bites  both  ways.  Those 
at  the  bottom  of  the  social  mass  could  fail  to  enter  into  it  equally 
with  those  at  the  top.  "  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  others  should 
do  unto  you,  do  ye  also  unto  them  ;"  .  .  "no  duties  without 
rights,  no  rights  without  duties." 
The  new  order  of  society  which  he  was  announcing  would  create 


354      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

privileges  for  the  toiling  masses  ;  but  it  would  also  create  obllga- 
tious ;  aud  he  stressed  the  obligatious  quite  as  strougly  as  the 
privileges.  Que  of  the  obligatious  was  fidelitj^  to  coutract.  He 
pictures  a  group  of  labourers  iu  the  market  place  agreeing  to  work 
for  a  specified  sum.  Others,  eleveuth-hour  meu — it  is  expressly 
stated  that  their  idleness  uutil  that  hour  had  not  been  their  fault — 
euter  iuto  the  day's  work  at  the  same  figure.  Upou  beiug  paid 
off  that  night,  the  first  group  complain  because  the  late-comers 
get  as  much  as  they.  This  spirit  the  parable  tenderly  but  firmly 
rebuked:  "Friend,  I  do  thee  no  wrong;  didst  not  thou  agree 
with  me  for  a  penny  ?  " 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  139. 

The  Parable  of  the  Pounds  and  the  Cities 

Aud  as  they  heard  these  things,  he  added  and  spake  a  parable, 
because  he  was  nigh  to  Jerusalem,  and  because  they  supposed 
that  the  kingdom  of  God  was  immediately  to  appear. 

He  said  therefore,  A  certain  nobleman  went  iuto  a  far  country, 
to  receive  for  himself  a  kingdom,  and  to  return.  And  he  called 
ten  servants  of  his,  and  gave  them  ten  pounds,  and  said  unto 
them.  Trade  ye  herewith  till  I  come. 

But  his  citizens  hated  him,  and  sent  an  ambassage  after  him, 
saying.  We  will  not  that  this  man  reign  over  us. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  come  back  again,  having 
received  the  kingdom,  that  he  commanded  these  servants,  unto 
whom  he  had  given  the  money,  to  be  called  to  him,  that  he  might 
know  what  they  had  gained  by  trading. 

Aud  the  first  came  before  him,  saying.  Lord,  thy  pound  hath 
made  ten  pounds  more. 

And  he  said,  Well  done,  thou  good  servant :  because  thou  wast 
found  faithful  in  a  very  little,  have  thou  authority  over  ten  cities. 

Aud  the  second  came,  saying,  Thy  pound,  Lord,  hath  made 
five  pounds. 

Aud  he  said  unto  him  also.  Be  thou  also  over  five  cities. 

And  the  other  came,  saying,  Lord,  behold,  here  is  thy  pound, 
which  I  kept  laid  up  iu  a  napkin  :  for  I  feared  thee,  because  thou 
art  an  austere  man  :  thou  takost  up  that  which  thou  layedst  not 
down,  and  reapest  that  which  thou  didst  not  sow. 

He  saith  unto  him,  Out  of  thine  own  mouth  will  I  judge  thee, 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  355 

thou  wicked  servant.  Thou  knewest  that  I  am  an  austere  man, 
taking  up  that  which  I  laid  not  down,  and  reaping  that  which  I 
did  not  sow  :  then  wherefore  gavest  thou  not  my  money  into  the 
bank,  and  I  at  my  coming  should  have  required  it  with  interest  ? 

And  he  said  unto  them  that  stood  by,  Take  away  from  him  the 
pound,  and  give  it  unto  him  that  hath  the  ten  pounds. 

And  they  said  unto  him,  Lord,  he  hath  ten  pounds. 

I  say  unto  you,  that  unto  every  one  that  hath  shall  be  given  ; 
but  from  him  that  hath  not,  even  that  which  he  hath  shall  be 
taken  away  from  him. 

But  these  mine  enemies,  that  would  not  that  I  should  reign 
over  them,  bring  hither,  and  slay  them  before  me. 
Luke  xix.  11-27.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

** Which  of  the  Two  Did  His  Father's  Will?** 

"  But  what  do  you  think  ? 

*  'A  certain  man  had  two  sons  ;  and  he  came  to  the  first,  and 
said,  'Child,  go  work  to-day  in  the  vineyard.' 

"And  he  answered,  'I  will  not:'  but  afterward  he  repented 
and  went. 

"  And  he  came  to  the  second,  and  said  the  same. 

*'  And  he  answered  and  said,  '  I  go.  Sir : '  but  did  not  go. 
Which  of  the  two  did  the  will  of  his  father  ?  " 

They  say,  "The  first." 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "Verily  I  say  to  you,  that  the  publicans 
and  the  harlots  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you. 

"  For  John  came  to  you  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  you 
did  not  believe  him  ;  but  the  publicans  and  the  harlots  believed 
him  :  and  you,  when  you  saw  it,  did  not  even  repent  afterward, 
that  you  might  believe  him." 

Matthew  xxi.  28-32.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

**This  Is  the  Heir,  Come,  Let  Us  Kill  Him  !  '* 
"Hear  another  parable:  There  was  a  man  that  was  a  house- 
holder, who  planted  a  vineyard,  and  set  a  hedge  about  it,  and 
dug  a  winepress  in  it,  and  built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husband- 
men, and  went  into  another  country.  And  when  the  season  of 
the  fruits  drew  near,  he  sent  his  servants  to  the  husbandmen  to 
receive  his  fruits. 


356      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN' 

"Aud  the  husbandmen  took  his  servants,  and  beat  one,  and 
killed  another,  and  stoned  another. 

"  Again,  he  sent  other  servants — a  larger  number  than  the 
first :  and  they  treated  them  in  the  same  way. 

"But  afterward  he  sent  to  them  his  sou,  saying,  'They  will 
respect  my  son. ' 

"But  the  husbandmen,  when  they  saw  the  son,  said  among 
themselves,  'This  is  the  heir  ;  come,  let  us  kill  him,  and  take  his 
inheritance.' 

"And  they  took  him,  and  threw  him  out  of  the  vineyard,  and 
killed  him. 

"  When,  therefore,  the  lord  of  the  vineyard  shall  come,  what 
will  he  do  to  those  husbandmen?" 

They  say  to  him,  "He  will  miserably  destroy  those  wretched 
men,  and  will  let  out  the  vineyard  to  other  husbandmen,  who 
will  pay  him  the  fruits  in  their  seasons." 

Jesus  said  to  them,  ' '  Did  you  never  read  in  the  scriptures : 

"  '  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected, 
The  same  was  made  the  head  of  the  corner : 
This  was  from  the  Lord, 
And  it  is  marvelous  iu  our  ej^es  ?  ' 

"Therefore  I  say  to  you,  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  betaken 
away  from  you,  and  shall  be  given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the 
fruits  of  the  kingdom. 

"  Aud  he  that  falls  on  this  stone  shall  be  broken  to  pieces : 
but  on  whomever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  scatter  him  as  dust." 

And  when  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  heard  his  par- 
ables, they  perceived  that  he  spoke  of  them. 

And  when  they  tried  to  arrest  him,  they  were  afraid  of  the 
crowds,  because  they  accepted  him  as  a  jirophet. 
Matthew  xxi.  33-46.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

The  Marriage  Feast  and  the  Wedding  Garment 

Aud  Jesus  answered  and  preached  to  them  iu  parables,  again, 
saying, 

"The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  compared  to  a  certain  king,  who 
made  a  marriage  feast  for  his  sou,  and  sent  out  his  servants  to 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  357 

call  those  who  were  invited  to  the  marriage  feast :  and  they  would 
not  come. 

"Again  he  sent  out  other  servants,  saying,  ' Tell  those  who  are 
invited,  "  See,  I  have  made  ready  my  dinner :  my  oxen  and  my 
fatliugs  are  killed,  and  all  things  are  ready :  come  to  the  mar- 
riage feast." ' 

"But  they  made  light  of  it,  and  went  their  ways,  one  to 
his  own  farm,  another  to  his  merchandise :  and  the  rest 
laid  hold  of  his  servants,  treated  them  shamefully,  and  killed 
them. 

"But  the  king  was  angry,  and  sent  his  armies,  and  destroyed 
those  murderers,  and  burned  their  city. 

"Then  he  said  to  his  servants,  'The  wedding  is  ready,  but 
those  who  were  invited  were  not  worthy. 

"  'Go  therefore  to  the  parting  of  the  highways,  and  as  many  as 
you  shall  find,  invite  to  the  marriage  feast.'  And  those  servants 
went  out  into  the  highways,  and  gathered  together  all,  as  many 
as  they  found,  both  bad  and  good  :  and  the  wedding  was  filled 
with  guests. 

"But  when  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests,  he  saw  a  man 
there  who  had  not  a  wedding-garment  on  ;  and  he  said  to  him, 
'  Friend,  how  earnest  thou  in  here  not  having  a  wedding-gar- 
ment ? ' 

"  And  he  was  speechless. 

"  Then  the  king  said  to  the  servants,  '  Bind  him  hand  and  foot, 
and  cast  him  out  into  the  outer  darkness ;  there  shall  be  the 
weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.' 

"  For  many  are  called,  but  few  chosen," 
3IaUhew  xxii.  1-14.     Eevised,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Story  of  the  Ten  Maidens 

"Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  compared  to  ten 
maidens,  who  took  their  torches,  and  went  out  to  meet  the  bride- 
groom. 

"And  five  of  them  were  foolish,  and  five  were  wise.  For  the 
foolisb  ones,  when  they  took  their  lamps,  took  no  oil  with  them  : 
but  the  wise  maidens  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps. 

' '  Now  while  the  bridegroom  tarried,  they  all  slumbered  and 
slept. 


358      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

''But  at  midnight  there  is  a  cry,  '  Behold  the  bridegroom  ! 
Come  out  to  meet  him.' 

' '  Then  all  the  girls  got  up  and  trimmed  their  lamps.  And 
the  foolish  said  to  the  wise,  '  Give  us  some  of  your  oil  ;  for  our 
lamps  are  going  out.' 

"But  the  wise  ones  answered,  saying,  '  Perhaps  there  will  not 
be  enough  for  us  and  for  you  :  go  rather  to  the  dealers,  and  buy 
some  for  yourselves. ' 

"And  while  they  were  gone  away  to  buy,  the  bridegroom 
came  :  and  those  who  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to  the  marriage 
feast :  and  the  door  was  shut. 

"  Afterward  the  other  maidens  came  also,  saying,  'Lord,  Lord, 
open  for  us  ! ' 

"  But  he  answered  and  said,  '  Indeed  I  say  to  you,  I  do  not 
know  you.' 

"  Watch  therefore,  for  you  do  not  know  the  day  nor  the  hour." 
Matthew  xxv.  1-13.     Revised  Version,  modernised,  etc. 

The  Good-for-Nothing  Servant 

For  it  is  as  when  a  man,  going  into  another  country,  called  his 
own  servants,  and  delivered  unto  them  his  goods.  And  to  one 
he  gave  five  talents,  to  another  two,  to  another  one  ;  to  each  ac- 
cording to  his  special  ability  ;  and  he  went  on  his  journey. 

Straightway  he  that  received  the  five  talents  went  and  traded 
with  them,  and  made  other  five  talents.  In  like  manner  he  also 
that  received  the  two  gained  other  two. 

But  he  that  received  the  one  went  away  and  dug  in  the  earth, 
and  hid  his  lord's  money. 

Now  after  a  long  time  the  lord  of  those  servants  came  and  made 
a  reckoning  with  them. 

And  he  that  received  the  five  talents  came  and  brought  five 
talents  more,  saying.  Lord,  thou  deliveredst  to  me  five  talents  :  lo, 
I  have  gained  five  talents  besides. 

His  lord  said  to  him.  Well  done,  good  and  fiiithful  servant  ! 
Thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over 
many  things  ;  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 

And  he  also  that  had  received  the  two  talents  came  and  said. 
Lord,  thou  deliveredst  to  me  two  talents :  lo,  I  have  gained  two 
talents  besides. 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  359 

His  lord  said  to  him,  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant ; 
thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over 
many  things  :  enter  thou  iuto  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 

And  he  also  that  had  received  the  one  talent  came,  and  said, 
Lord,  I  knew  thee  that  thou  art  a  hard  man,  reaping  where 
thou  didst  not  sow,  and  gathering  where  thou  didst  not  scatter  : 
and  I  was  afraid,  aud  went  away  and  hid  thy  talent  in  the  earth  : 
lo,  thou  hast  thine  own. 

But  his  lord  answered  and  said  to  him.  Thou  wicked,  lazy 
slave  !  Thou  kuewest  that  I  reap  where  I  did  not  sow,  and  gather 
where  I  did  not  scatter  ;  thou  oughtest  therefore  to  have  placed 
my  money  with  the  bankers,  and  at  my  coming  I  should  have 
received  back  my  own  with  interest. 

Take  away  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give  it  to  him 
that  has  the  ten  talents,  for  to  every  one  that  has  shall  be  given, 
aud  he  shall  have  abundance  :  but  from  him  that  has  not,  even 
that  which  he  has  shall  be  taken  away. 

And  cast  the  unprofitable  slave  out  iuto  the  outer  darkness  : 
there  shall  be  the  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
3Iattheio  xxv.  14-30.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

**  For  the  Least  of  These  Brothers  of  Mine  ** 
But  when  the  Sou  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  aud  all  the 
angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  on  the  throne  of  his  glory  :  and 
before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  the  nations  :  and  he  shall  separate 
them  one  from  another,  as  the  shepherd  separates  the  sheep  from 
the  goats  :  aud  he  shall  place  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the 
goats  on  the  left. 

Then  shall  the  King  say  to  those  on  his  right  hand.  Come, 
blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world  :  for  I  was  hungry,  and  you  gave  me 
food  :  I  was  thirsty,  and  you  gave  me  drink  :  I  was  a  stranger, 
aud  you  took  me  in  ;  naked,  and  you  clothed  me  :  I  was  sick  and 
you  visited  me :  I  was  in  prison,  and  you  came  to  me. 

Then  shall  the  righteous  ones  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when 
did  we  see  thee  hungry,  and  fed  thee  ?  or  thirsty,  and  gave  thee 
drink  %  And  when  did  we  see  thee  a  stranger  and  took  thee  in? 
or  naked,  and  clothed  thee  ?  And  wheu  did  we  see  thee  sick,  or 
in  prison,  aud  came  to  thee  % 


860      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  to  them,  Truly  I  saj 
to  you,  inasmuch  as  you  did  it  to  one  of  my  brethren,  even  the 
least  of  these,  you  did  it  to  me. 

Then  shall  he  say  also  to  those  on  the  left  hand,  Depart 
from  me,  under  a  curse,  into  the  eternal  fire  which  is  prepared 
for  the  devil  and  his  angels  :  for  I  was  hungry,  and  you  did  not 
give  me  to  eat :  I  was  thirsty,  and  you  did  not  give  me  to  drink  : 
I  was  a  stranger,  and  you  did  not  take  me  in  :  naked,  and  you 
did  not  clothe  me  :  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  you  did  not  visit  me. 

Then  shall  they  also  answer,  saying,  Lord,  when  did  we  see 
thee  hungry,  or  thirsty,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did 
not  minister  to  thee  ? 

Then  shall  he  answer  them,  saying,  Indeed  I  say  to  you, 
inasmuch  as  you  did  not  do  it  to  one  of  these  least,  you  did  not 
do  it  to  me. 

And  these  shall  go  away  into  eternal  punishment :  but  the 
righteous  into  eternal  life. 

Matthew  xxv.  31-46.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  modernized,  etc. 

For  the  Good  or  Evil  Side 

Ouce  to  every  man  and  nation  conies  the  moment  to  decide, 
In  the  strife  of  Truth  with  Falsehood,  for  the  good  or  evil  side  ; 
Some  great  cause,  God's  new  Messiah,  offering  each  the  bloom  or  blight, 
Parts  the  goats  upon  the  left  band,  and  the  sheep  upon  the  right, 
And  the  choice  goes  by  forever  'twixt  that  darkness  and  that  light. 

The  Present  Crisis,  James  Russell  Lowell,  Complete  Poetical  Works,  p.  67. 

New-Found  Sayings  of  Jesws 
{Discovered  at  Oxyrynchus,  Egypt,  in  1897) 

These  are  the  (wonderful  1)  words  which  Jesus  the  living  (Lord) 
spake  to  .  .  .  and  Thomas,  and  he  said  unto  (them),  Every 
one  that  hearkens  to  these  words  shall  never  taste  of  death. 

First  Saijiuff 
Jesus  saith.  Let  not  him  who  seeks    .     .     .     cease  until  he 
finds,  and  when  he  finds  he  shall  be  astonished  ;  astonished  he  shall 
reach  the  kingdom,  and  having  reached  the  kingdom  he  shall  rest. 

Second  Saying 
Jesus  saith,    (Ye  ask  1  who  are  those)  that  draw  us  (to  the 
kingdom,  if)  the  kingdom  is  in  Heaven?    .     .     .     the  fowls  of 


THE  PARABLES  IN  PEREA  361 

the  air,  and  all  the  beasts  that  are  under  the  earth  or  upon  the 
earth,  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  (these  are  they  which  draw)  you, 
and  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  within  you  ;  and  whoever  shall 
know  himself  shall  find  it.  (Strive  therefore  f)  to  know  your- 
selves, and  ye  shall  be  aware  that  ye  are  the  sons  of  the  (almighty  ?) 
Father  ;  (and  ?)  ye  shall  know  that  ye  are  in  (the  city  of  God  ?), 
and  ye  are  (the  city  *?). 

Third  Saying 

Jesus  saith,  A  man  shall  not  hesitate  ...  to  ask  .  .  . 
concerning  his  place  (in  the  kingdom.  Ye  shall  know)  that 
many  that  are  first  shall  be  last  and  the  last  first  and  (they  shall 
have  eternal  life  %). 

Fourth  Saying 

Jesus  saith.  Everything  that  is  not  before  thy  face  and  that 
which  is  hidden  from  thee  sliall  be  revealed  to  thee.  For  there 
is  nothing  hidden  which  shall  not  be  made  manifest,  nor  buried 
which  shall  not  be  raised. 

Fifth  Saying 
His  disciples  question  him  and  say,  How  shall  we  fast  and  how 
shall  we  (pray?)     .     .     and  what  (commandment)  shall  we  keep 
.     .     .     Jesus  saith    ...     do  not    ...     of  truth    .     .     . 
blessed  is  he    .     .     . 

New  Sayings  of  Jesus  and  Fragment  of  a  Lost  Gospel,  Edited  by  Bernard  P. 
Grenfell,  D.  Litfc.,  M.  A.,  pp.  12-19. 

The  Fragment  of  a  Lost  Gospel 

{Discovered  at  Oxyrhynchus,  Egypt,  in  1897) 
I 

.  .  .  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote 
that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye. 

II 

Jesus  saith,  Except  ye  fast  to  the  world,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  find 
the  kingdom  of  God  ;  and  except  ye  make  the  Sabbath  a  real 
Sabbath,  ye  shall  not  see  the  Father. 

Ill 
Jesus  saith,  I  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  world  and  in  the  flesh 
was  I  seen  of  them,  and  I  found  all  men  drunken,  and  none  found 
I  athirst  among  them,  and  my  soul  grieveth  over  the  sons  of  men, 
because  they  are  blind  in  their  heart  and  see  not.     .     . 


362      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

IV 
.     .     .     .     poverty. 

V 

Jesus  saith,  Wherever  there  are  (two),  they  are  not  without 
God,  aud  wherever  there  is  one  alone,  I  say,  I  am  with  him. 
Raise  the  stone,  aud  there  thou  shalt  find  me;  cleave  the  wood, 
aud  there  am  I. 

VI 

Jesus  saith,  A  prophet  is  not  acceptable  in  his  own  country, 
neither  doth  a  physician  work  cures  upon  them  that  know  him.    . 

VII 

Jesus  saith,  A  city  built  upon  the  top  of  a  high  hill  aud  estab- 
lished, can  neither  fall  nor  be  hid. 

VIII 

Jesus  saith.  Thou  hearest  with  one  ear,  (but  the  other  thou  hast 
closed). 

New  Sayings  of  Jesus  and  Fragment  of  a  Lost  Gospel,  Bernard  P.  Greufell, 
D.  Litt.,  M.  A.,  pp.  37  aud  38. 

Nor  Did  It  Lessen  What  He  Taught 
Suppose  it  could  be  shown  that,  knowing  what  Confucius  taught  in 
China,  Buddha  in  India,  Zoroaster  in  Persia,  Plato  in  Greece,  Jesus 
selected  the  true  and  essential  out  of  all  these  and  other  systems 
of  thought,  aud  wove  them  into  the  unity  of  the  Christian  system. 
Then  unbelief  would  have  a  new  problem.  For  the  religious 
genius  that  fastened  intuitively  upon  the  best  elements  of  each 
separate  faith,  and  fused  these  borrowed  fragments  into  a  new 
and  distinctive  religion,  would  only  be  inferior  to  the  wisdom 
which  was  necessary  to  the  creation  of  the  Christian  system  in  the 
absence  of  aid  from  outside  sources. 

As  it  is,  we  maj^  say  with  one  of  our  poets  : 

"  Nor  did  it  lessen  what  He  taught, 
Or  make  the  gospel  Jesus  brought 
Less  precious,  that  his  lips  retold 
Some  portions  of  the  truth  of  old  : 
Confirming  with  his  own  impress 
The  common  law  of  righteousness." 

(—Whittier.) 

The  OrigitmUty  of  Jesus.   Rev.  Matt  S.  Hughes,  D.D.,Zion'8  Herald,  Vol, 
LXXXIX,  May  31,  1911,  p.  683. 


XXVII 
CALLING  LAZARUS  BACK 

"Where  have  ye  laid  him?  "—"Come  and  see  !  " 
But  ere  His  eyes  could  see,  they  wept. 

— 3Irs.  Browning. 

A  Gap  of  Untold  Events 

It  was  while  in  Perea,  that  this  message  suddenly  reached  the 
Master  from  the  well-remembered  home  at  Bethany,  "the  village 
of  Mary" — who,  although  the  younger,  is  for  obvious  reasons 
first  mentioned  in  this  history — "and  her  sister  Martha,"  con- 
cerning their  (younger)  brother  Lazarus  :  "  Lord,  behold  he  whom 
Thou  lovest  is  sick."  They  are  apparently  the  very  words  which 
"the  sisters"  bade  their  messenger  tell.  We  note  as  an  impor- 
tant fact  to  be  stored  in  our  memory,  that  the  Lazarus,  who  had 
not  even  been  mentioned  in  the  only  account  preserved  to  us  of 
a  previous  visit  of  Christ  to  Bethany,  is  described  as  "he  whom 
Christ  loved." 

What  a  gap  of  untold  events  between  the  two  visits  of  Christ 
to  Bethany — and  what  modesty  should  it  teach  us  as  regards  in- 
ferences from  the  circumstance  that  certain  events  are  not  recorded 
in  the  Gospels !  The  messenger  was  apparently  dismissed  by 
Christ  with  this  reply  :  "  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death,  but  for 
the  glory  of  God,  in  order  that  the  Sou  of  God  may  be  glorified 
thereby." 

We  must  here  bear  iu  mind,  that  this  answer  was  heard  by 
such  of  the  apostles  as  were  present  at  the  time.  They  would 
naturally  infer  from  it  that  Lazarus  would  not  die,  and  that  his 
restoration  would  glorify  Christ,  either  as  having  foretold  it,  or 
prayed  for  it,  or  effected  it  by  His  will.  Yet  its  true  meaning — 
even,  as  we  now  see,  its  literal  interpretation,  was,  that  its  final 
upshot  was  not  to  be  the  death  of  Lazarus,  but  that  it  was  to  be 
for  the  glory  of  God,  in  order  that  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  might 
be  made  manifest.     And  we  learn,  how  much  more  full  are  the 

363 


364      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

words  of  Christ  tliau  they  often  appear  to  us  ;  and  how  truly,  aud 
eveu  literally,  they  may  bear  quite  another  meaning  than  appears 
to  our  honest  misapprehension  of  them — a  meaning  which  onlj^ 
the  event,  the  future,  will  disclose. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim.  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D/D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  312. 

"LazamsIsDead!/* 

Now  a  certain  man  was  sick,  Lazarus  of  Bethany,  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha ;  aud  it  was  that  Mary  who 
anointed  the  Lord  with  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her 
hair,  whose  brother  Lazarus  was  sick. 

The  sisters  therefore  sent  to  him,  saying,  Lord,  behold,  he 
whom  thou  lovest  is  sick. 

But  when  Jesus  heard  it,  he  said,  This  sickness  is  not  unto 
death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
glorified  thereby. 

Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  aud  her  sister,  and  Lazarus.  "When 
therefore  he  heard  that  he  was  sick,  he  stayed  at  that  time  two 
days  in  the  place  where  he  was.  Then  after  this  he  said  to  the 
disciples,  Let  us  go  into  Judea  again. 

The  disciples  say  to  him,  Rabbi,  the  Jews  were  but  now  seek- 
ing to  stone  thee  ;  and  art  thou  going  there  again  % 

Jesus  answered.  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  day?  If 
a  man  walk  in  the  day  he  does  not  stumble,  because  he  sees  the 
light  of  this  world.  But  if  a  man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbles, 
because  the  light  is  not  in  him.  He  said  these  things,  aud  after 
this  he  said  to  them,  Our  friend  Lazarus  has  fallen  asleep  ;  but  I 
go,  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of  his  sleep. 

The  disciples  therefore  said  to  him,  Lord,  if  he  has  fallen 
asleep,  he  will  recover. 

Now  Jesus  had  spoken  of  his  death  :  but  they  thought  that  he 
spoke  of  taking  rest  in  sleep. 

Then  Jesus  therefore  said  to  them  plainly,  Lazarus  is  dead. 
And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was  not  there,  to  the  intent 
that  you  may  believe  ;  nevertheless  let  us  go  to  him. 

Thomas  therefore,   who  is  called  Twin,    said   to  his  fellow- 
disciples,  Let  us  go  too,  that  we  may  die  with  him  ! 
John  xi.  1-16.     Kevised  Versiou,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


CALLING  LAZARUS  BACK  365 

Going  Back  into  the  Jaws  of  Danger 

"The  rabbis  aud  piiesls  were  seeking  ouly  the  other  day  to 
stoue  Thee,  Eabbi,"  said  they  iu  amazement — "aud  art  Thou 
really  going  back  into  the  very  jaws  of  danger?  " 

"The  time  allotted  me  by  God  for  my  work,"  replied  Jesus, 
"is  not  yet  done,  and  so  long  as  it  lasts  no  one  cau  harm  me. 
The  time  appointed  for  a  man,  is  like  the  hours  of  light  given  to 
a  traveler  for  his  journey.  There  is  no  fear  of  his  stumbling  in 
the  day,  because  he  sees  the  sun  ;  but  as  he  stumbles  when  it  has 
set,  so  man,  though  he  walk  safely  till  the  appointed  time  ends, 
cau  do  so  no  longer  when  it  is  over.     Till  mine  is  over,  I  am  safe. " 

Pausing  a  few  minutes.  He  went  on  to  tell  them  why  He  was 
going  to  Bethany,  in  spite  of  all  danger.  "  Our  friend  Lazarus," 
said  He,  "has  fallen  asleep,  but  I  go  that  I  may  awake  him  out 
of  sleep." 

Unwilling  to  expose  themselves  or  their  Master  to  unnecessary 
peril,  their  wishes  read  in  these  words  a  cause  for  remaining 
where  they  were. 

"To  sleep  is  good  for  the  sick,"  said  they,  thinking  He  spoke 
of  natural  sleep.  But  their  hopes  were  speedily  dashed.  ' '  Laza- 
rus," said  He,  now  openly,  "is  dead,  and  I  am  glad  for  your 
sakes,  that  I  was  not  there  to  heal  him  from  mere  sickness.  The 
far  greater  proof  of  my  divine  glory,  which  you  will  see  iu  my 
raising  him  from  the  grave,  would  not  have  been  given,  and  thus 
you  would  have  lost  the  aid  to  still  firmer  trust  in  me,  which  is 
so  necessary  now  I  am  so  soon  to  leave  you." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  309. 

Why?  Why?  Why? 
Lazarus  was  .  most  prominent  .  in  Bethany,  aud  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  death  were  on  everybody's  tongue.  The  village 
was  astir  with  mourners.  Neighbors  gossiped  about  the  dead 
man's  tarrying  friend, — not  kindly.  Muttered  reproaches,  dis- 
pleased and  distressed  faces,  met  the  Healer  everywhere.  Before 
he  had  set  foot  within  the  borders  of  the  village,  he  felt  himself 
to  be  the  most  unpopular  man  in  it.  .  .  .  A  grumbling  by- 
stander viciously  observed  that  the  Nazarene  was  not  in  a  hurry 
to  enter  the  house  where  he  had  been  so  well  treated,  aud  whose 
bereavement  he  could  have  prevented  if  he  had  taken  the  trouble  ; 


366      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

for  there  seemed  to  be  no  doubt  but  that  he  was  a  very  distin- 
guished healer. 

Jesus  entered  into  conversation  with  no  one,  but  stood  silently, 
lookiug  so  troubled  that  his  disciples  felt  discouraged.  What  did 
it  all  mean  ?  How  would  he  defend  himself  when  people  called 
him  a  craven  or  a  faithless  friend  ?  Why  had  he  let  it  happen 
as  he  had?    Why?     Why?     Why? 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  278. 

Past  Power  of  Speech 

He  had  a  commanding  air.  His  garments  were  the  garments 
of  the  people,  but  his  mien  was  the  mien  of  a  kiug.  His  sandals 
were  dusty  and  travel- worn.  He  had  the  hands  of  an  artisau. 
His  head  was  royal,  and  raised  itself  upon  strong  shoulders.  He 
had  beautiful  hair,  of  the  finest  texture,  curling  and  fair ;  his 
unshaven  beard  fell  to  his  breast ;  the  expression  of  his  concealed 
lips  was  delicate  as  no  word  may  tell  it.  .  .  As  the  two  stood 
confronting  each  other,  they  were  to  the  eye  like  human  love  con- 
frontiug  the  Divine,  human  anguish  appealing  to  Divine  pity, 
the  helplessness  of  earth  questioning  the  power  of  heaven.     .     .     . 

That  supreme  look  burned  into  her  soul  like  holy  fire.  Those 
eyes, — what  color  had  they?  What  form?  No  man  knew,  or 
knoweth  unto  this  day.  .  .  The  majesty  and  beauty  of  that 
face,  past  power  of  speech  to  say  it,  or  form  of  dream  to  dream  it, 
blazed  above  her  for  a  moment. 

Come  Forth !    Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  and  Herbert  D.  Ward,  p.  312. 

**  If  Thou  Hadst  Been  Here!*' 

So  when  Jesus  came,  he  found  that  he  had  been  in  the  tomb 
four  days  already. 

Now  Bethany  was  near  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  furlongs  off ; 
and  many  of  the  Jews  had  come  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to  console 
them  concerning  their  brother. 

Martha  therefore,  when  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  went 
and  met  him  :  but  Mary  still  sat  in  the  house.  Martha  therefore 
said  to  Jesus,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  would 
not  have  died  !  And  even  now  I  know  that,  whatever  thou  shalt 
ask  of  God,  God  will  give  thee. 

Jesus  said  to  her.  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again. 


CALLING  LAZARUS  BACK  367 

Martha  said  to  him,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in  the 
resurrection  at  the  last  day. 

Jesus  said  to  her,  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life :  he  that 
believes  in  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live  :  and  whoever 
lives  and  believes  in  me  shall  never  die.  Dost  thou  believe 
this? 

She  said  to  him,  Yes,  Lord  :  I  have  believed  that  thou  art 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  even  he  that  is  coming  into  the 
world. 

And  when  she  had  said  this,  she  went  away,  and  called  Mary 
her  sister,  secretly,  saying,  The  Teacher  is  here,  and  is  calling 
for  thee. 

And  she,  when  she  heard  it,  arose  quickly  and  went  to  him. 
(I^ow  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  into  the  village,  but  was  still  in  the 
place  where  Martha  met  him.)  The  Jews  then  who  were  with  her 
in  the  house,  and  were  comforting  her,  when  they  saw  Mary,  that 
she  rose  up  quickly  and  went  out,  followed  her,  supposing  that 
she  was  going  to  the  tomb  to  wail  there.  Mary  therefore,  when 
she  came  where  Jesus  was,  and  saw  him,  fell  down  at  his  feet, 
saying  to  him,  Lord  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  piy  brother  would 
not  have  died  ! 

When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her  wailing,  and  the  Jews  also  wail- 
iug  who  came  with  her,  he  was  moved  with  indignation,  and 
shuddered,  and  said.  Where  have  you  laid  him? 

They  say  to  him,  Lord,  come  and  see. 

Jesus  wept. 
John  xi.  17-35.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


Jes«s  Wept 

Two  sayings  of  the  holy  Scriptures  beat 
Like  pulses  in  the  Church's  brow  and  breast 
And  by  thera  we  find  rest  in  our  unrest, 
And,  heart-deep  in  salt  tears,  do  yet  entreat, 
God's  fellowship  as  if  on  heavenly  seat. 
The  first  is,  "  Jesus  wept,"  whereon  is  prest 
Full  many  a  sobbing  face  that  drops  its  best 
And  sweetest  waters  on  the  record  sweet. 

Sonnets,  Elizabeth   Barrett    Browning,    3Irs.  Browning^a  Complete  Poetical 
Works,  p.  359. 


368      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Martha  and  Mary  Coold  Not  Understand  Each  Other 

Hours  passed.  Mary  sat  on  iu  the  dark  and  dreary  room. 
She  had  the  temperament  which  does  not,  because  it  cannot,  con- 
quer grief  by  action.  All  her  strength  must  come  through  reflec- 
tion and  religious  faith.  She  must  think  herself,  and  pray 
herself,  not  work  herself  into  peace.  The  worker  and  the 
dreamer  are  always  at  odds,  and  Martha  and  Mary  could  no  more 
understand  each  other  than  the  Pharisee  and  Sadducee,  or  the 
living  and  the  dead. 

Mary  was  sitting  just  as  her  sister  .  .  .  had  .  .  left 
her,  when  Martha  unexpectedly  returned.  She  hurried  into  the 
room  excitedly,  and  said  : 

"  The  Master  called  for  thee."     .     . 

Mary  arose  slowly.  Martha's  voice  jarred  on  her,  but  she  was 
used  to  that.  She  veiled  herself  and  followed  her  sister  con- 
fusedly. She  was  unconscious  of  any  details  on  that  sad,  strange 
walk  into  the  outer  world,  her  first  since  she  had  followed  her 
brother  to  his  grave.  She  did  not  lift  her  eyes  from  the  ground. 
She  saw  the  gravel,  the  blades  of  grass,  and  little  pebbles  and 
glittering  sand,  and  Martha's  robe  fluttering  before  her.  She 
could  not  tell  where  she  was,  nor  how  far  she  had  gone,  when  a 
voice  quite  near  her  murmured  :  — 

''Mary." 
Come  Forth .'    Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  and  Herbert  D.  Ward,  p.  302. 

No  One  Stirred  or  Spoke 

He  had  suddenly  retreated  a  step  or  two,  and  fixed  his  eyes  upon 
the  tomb.  Then,  lifting  them  to  the  hot,  bright  sky,  he  stretched 
his  hands  out  in  the  attitude  of  supplication,  and  so  stood,  rapt 
and  mute,  among  the  people,  and  no  one  stirred  or  spoke  in  all 
the  throng.  Solemnly,  in  an  undertone,  and  overheard  only  by 
those  who  stood  nearest  him,  he  slowly  and  distinctly  said  : 

"  Behold,  I  am  the  Eesurrection.  I  am  the  Life.  He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  me,  though  he  were  dead,  he  shall  live." 

.  .  .  The  Nazarene  had  ordered  the  stone  which  guarded 
the  sepulchre  to  be  removed.  Protests  from  the  family,  whis- 
pers from  the  crowd,  a  moment  of  intense  and  terrible  excitement, 
swept  giddily  over  the  senses. 

Come  Forth  !      Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  and  Herbert  D.  Ward,  p.  312. 


CALLING  LAZARUS  BACK  369 

*'  La^arws,  Come  forth !  ** 

The  Jews  therefore  said,  See  how  he  loved  him  ! 

But  some  of  them  said,  Could  uot  this  mau,  who  opened  the 
ej'es  of  the  bliud  mau  have  caused  also  that  this  mau  should  uot 
die? 

Jesus  therefore,  beiug  moved  again  with  iudignation  in  him- 
self, comes  to  the  tomb.  Now  it  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  lay 
upon  it. 

Jesus  said.  Take  away  the  stone. 

Martha,  the  sister  of  him  that  was  dead,  said  to  him.  Lord,  by 
this  time  the  body  is  decaying,  for  he  has  been  dead  four  days. 

Jesus  said  to  her.  Did  I  uot  say  to  thee,  that,  if  thou  didst 
believe,  thou  shouldst  see  the  glory  of  God  ? 

So  they  took  away  the  stone. 

And  Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  said,  Father,  I  thank  thee 
that  thou  hast  heard  me.  And  I  know  that  thou  dost  hear  me 
always  :  but  because  of  the  crowd  standing  around  I  said  it,  that 
they  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me. 

And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
Lazarus,  come  forth  ! 

He  that  was  dead  came  out,  bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave- 
bands  ;  and  his  face  was  bandaged  with  a  napkin. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  Eelease  him,  and  let  him  go. 

Many  therefore  of  the  Jews,  who  came  to  Mary  and  saw  what 
he  did,  believed  in  him. 

But  some  of  them  weut  away  to  the  Pharisees,  and  told  them 
what  Jesus  had  done. 

John  xi.  36-46.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

Great  God  of  Out  People,  "What  a  Sight ! 

Jesus,  rapt  in  prayer,  stood  with  eyes  lifted  to  heaven,  and  so 
standing  seemed  to  have  grown  unaware  of  any  who  pressed  about 
him.  Mary  came  near,  and  sinking,  .  .  .  drew  the  hem  of 
his  dusty  garment  to  her  lips  and  kissed  it.  An  inexplicable  awe 
had  fallen  upon  the  hearts  of  the  throng.  The  silence  became 
profound.     The  bird  upon  the  tomb  had  ceased  singing. 

Suddenly  a  loud  and  ringing  voice  struck  the  still  air  : — 

' '  Lazarus  !     Lazarus ! ' ' 

Who  addressed  the  dead  mau,  as  one  addresseth  a  friend  who 


370      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

is  expected  to  reply?    The  people  stared  at  each  other  and  shud- 
dered. 

"Lazarus!     Lazarus!     Come  forth  T^ 

The  cry  was  commaudiug  and  awful.  It  penetrated  the  souls 
of  the  living  as  lightning  penetrates  the  earth.  If  any  voice  could 
have  reached  the  spirit  of  the  dead  — 

Great  God  of  our  people  !  Look  yonder  !  What  has  befallen 
us  %  What  thing  is  this  ?  Whom  have  we  in  our  midst  %  What 
is  this  blinding  sight? 

The  stone  lips  of  the  sepulchre  mutter ;  the  black  throat 
yawns  ;  there  is  motion  within,  and  sound.  Steps  stir — there 
is  a  flickering  of  light  and  a  shifting  of  shadow — a  shape  moves, 
and  rises  before  our  eyes.     Is  it  the  living?    Was  it  the  dead  ? 

Clad  in  his  shroud,  as  the  tomb  had  taken  him,  Lazarus,  for 
four  days  a  dead  man,  stoops  from  the  sepulchre,  stands  upright, 
and,  walking  steadily  into  the  bright  air,  moves  down  the  scat- 
tering ranks  of  his  mourners,  and  solemnly  regards  them. 
Come  Forth  !    Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  and  Herbert  D.  Ward,  p.  314. 

Frenzied  with  the  Thrill  of  It 

What  was  to  be  said  ?  Jerusalem  and  her  suburbs  trembled 
with  wonder  and  dismay.  The  astounding  story  admitted  of  no 
qualifying  interpretation.  It  must  be  accepted  or  rejected  al- 
together. It  soon  became  evident  that  rejection  was  impossible. 
Lazarus  had  been  a  live  man  a  week  ago.  Dead,  and  four  days 
buried  yesterday,  he  was  alive  to-day.  It  was  only  necessary  to 
visit  Bethany  and  see  for  one's  self  Hundreds  hurried,  gaping, 
to  the  spot.  Curiosity  inundated  the  village.  His  house  was 
besieged.  It  was  only  a  matter  of  hours  before  the  incredible 
facts  were  dashed  into  the  fiice  of  the  Church.  The  governing 
authorities  took  fright.  The  Sanhedrin  was  hastily  convened. 
The  case  of  the  Jewish  nation  against  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was 
formally  opened  that  very  Friday,  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
Lazarus  had  emerged  from  his  tomb,  and  stood  staring  amid  the 
flowers,  in  the  approach  of  night,  among  the  appalled  and  silent 
witnesses  of  the  inconceivable  truth. 

Strictly  speaking,  the  preliminaries  to  the  arrest  of  the  great 
heretic  were  all  illegal.  The  Sanhedrin  had  no  civil  or  criminal 
jurisdiction,  except  by  the  mercy  of  Rome,  and  the  hastiness  of 


CALLING  LAZARUS  BACK  371 

their  procedure  was  iu  itself  irregular.  But  all  formalities, 
ecclesiastical,  civic,  or  humane,  were  distorted  by  one  mad 
thrust.  Lazarus  had  come  out  of  his  grave — how,  no  one  could 
pretend  to  explain  ?  But  he  was  out,  and  the  Nazarene  had  done 
the  deed.  The  people  were  frenzied  with  the  thrill  of  it.  They 
were  massing  from  all  quarters  to  rally  about  Jesus.  The  cry, 
"Messiah  !  the  Messiah  !"  rang  through  capital  and  countryside. 
The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  287. 

**  Where  Wert  Thou,  Brother  ?  " 

When  Lazarus  left  his  charuel  cave, 

And  home  to  Mary's  house  returned, 

Was  this  demanded — if  he  yearned 
To  hear  her  weeping  by  his  grave? 

"  Where  wert  thou,  brother,  those  four  days?  " 
There  lives  no  record  of  reply, 
Which  telling  what  it  is  to  die 
Had  surely  added  praise  to  praise. 

From  every  house  the  neighbours  met, 
The  streets  were  filled  with  joyful  sound, 
A  solemn  gladness  even  crowned 

The  purple  brows  of  Olivet, 

Behold  a  man  raised  up  by  Christ  ! 

The  rest  remaineth  uu revealed  ; 

He  told  it  not,  or  something  sealed 
The  lips  of  that  Evangelist. 

In  Sfemoriam,  Alfred  Tennyson,  Poetical  Works,  p.  255. 

Conspired  to  Seize  Lazarus  and  Smother  Him 
But,  though  this  strange  event  had  so  slight  an  influence  on  my 
mind,  it  produced  a  vast  change  in  the  attitude  of  the  Jews  iu 
Jerusalem.  It  had  been  the  fashion  in  the  great  city  to  ridicule 
our  prophet  and  his  disciples.  Men  thought  it  absurd  for  a 
prophet  to  come  from  Galilee,  or  that  any  good  could  proceed 
from  Nazareth.  But  as  soon  as  this  history  of  Lazarus  was  noised 
abroad,  a  change  came  over  the  city.  Men  stood  in  groups  talk- 
ing about  it,  and  declaring  that  Jesus  was  certainly  the  King  who 
was  to  come.     Even  iu  the  Sauhedriu,  and  among  the  priests  of 


373      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

the  temple,  many  declared  that  they  would  follow  him  as  soou  as 
he  openly  claimed  the  office.  Dark  threats  began  to  be  uttered 
against  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  who  were  opposed  to 
him. 

"This  is  always  the  way,"  men  said.  "  They  build  tombs  to 
the  prophets  who  lived  five  hundred  years  ago  ;  but  as  soou  as 
God  sends  us  a  new  prophet,  they  try  to  kill  him.  But  they  shall 
not  kill  Jesus,  even  if  we  have  to  pull  down  the  temj^le  over  their 
heads." 

Tluis  the  city  was  full  of  ferment.     And  the  enemies  of  Jesus 

became  much  alarmed,  and  did  not  dare  to  speak  openly  against 

him  ;  but  privately,  as  I  afterward  heard,  they  discussed  the  plan 

of  seizing  Lazarus  by  night,  smothering  him,  so  that  no  sign  of 

violence  should  appear,  and  putting  him  secretly  in  the  sepulchre 

where  he  was  before.     Then  they  meant  to  deny  that  any  such 

wonder  had  been  done,  and  intended  to  invite  those  who  believed 

in  it  to  choose  a  number  of  persons  to  examine  the  sepulchre,  and 

see  if  his  body  were  not  still  there.     Such  was  the  plan,  but  I 

suppose  they  found  it  too  difficult  to  execute.     Nevertheless,  they 

took  among  themselves  a  resolution,  confirming  it  with  an  oath, 

that  Jesus  should  be  put  to  death  as  soou  as  they  could  find  a 

way  to  accomplish  their  purpose. 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  us  Related  hy  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  329. 

"Wild  Legends  abowt  Lazarus 
Of  the  after-history  of  Lazarus,  with  one  momentary  exception, 
we  know  nothing,  for  none  of  the  numerous  traditions  and  legends 
respecting  him  are  reliable.  He  is  said  to  have  been  thirty  years 
old  when  he  was  raised  from  the  dead,  and  to  have  lived  for 
thirty  years  after  ;  to  have  been  of  royal  descent ;  to  have  owned 
a  whole  quarter  of  Jerusalem,  and  to  have  been,  by  profession,  a 
soldier.  His  bones  were  said  to  have  been  found  in  the  year 
A.  D.  890,  with  those  of  Mary  Magdalene,  in  the  island  of  Cyprus  ! 
and  the  remains  thus  honoured  were  carried  to  Constantinople. 
Other  traditions  take  him  to  Marseilles,  and  speak  of  him  as  the 
first  Christian  bishop  of  that  city.  But  the  very  extravagance  of 
these  legends  shows  their  worthlessness  as  history. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  334. 


XXVIII 
A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MOEE 

Then  one  deep  love  doth  supersede 
All  other. 

—  Tennyson. 

**  If  We  Let  Him  Go  on  Like  This,  Every  One  Will  Believe 

in  Him  !^* 

Therefoee  the  ruliug  priests  aud  Pharisees  assembled  a 
council,  aud  said,  "What  are  we  doiug  while  this  mau  is  per- 
forming all  these  miracles'?  If  we  let  him  go  on  like  this  every 
oue  will  believe  iu  him,  aud  the  Eomaus  will  come  aud  take  away 
our  place  aud  natiou." 

But  a  certain  oue  of  them,  Caiaphas,  beiisg  the  high  priest  that 
year,  said  to  them:  "You  do  not  know  anything  nor  consider 
that  it  is  profitable  for  us  that  one  mau  should  die  for  the  people, 
aud  that  the  whole  natiou  should  not  jDerish." 

But  he  did  not  say  this  from  himself  but,  being  high  priest  that 
year,  prophesied  that  Jesus  was  about  to  die  for  the  natiou  :  aud 
not  only  for  the  natiou,  but  also  that  he  might  unite  the  children 
of  God  who  have  been  scattered  abroad. 

Therefore  from  that  day  they  conspired  together  to  kill  him. 
So  Jesus  no  longer  walked  among  the  Jews  publicly,  but  went 
away  from  there  into  the  country  near  the  desert,   to  a  town 
called  Ephraim,  aud  there  he  remained  with  his  disciples. 
John  xi.  47-54.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

To  Prove  a  Miracle  Is  to  Prove  It  Was  Not  a  Miracle 

Instinctively  we  feel  that  such  a  miracle  as  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
calls  for  more  than  merely  logical  formulas.  Heart  aud  mind  crave 
something  higher  than  questions  of  what  may  be  logically  pos- 
sible or  impossible.  AVe  want,  so  to  speak,  living  evidence,  aud 
we  have  it.     We  have  it,  first  of  all,  iu  the  person  of  the  lucar- 

373 


374      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

nate  God,  who  came  not  ouly  to  abolish  death,  but  iu  whose 
presence  the  continuance  of  disease  aud  death  was  impossible. 
And  we  have  it  also  in  the  narrative  of  the  event  itself. 

It  were,  indeed,  an  absurd  demand  to  prove  a  miracle,  since  to 
do  so  were  to  show  that  it  was  not  a  miracle.  But  we  may  be 
rationally  asked  these  three  things :  first,  to  show  that  no  other 
explanation  is  rationally  possible  than  that  which  proceeds  on 
the  ground  of  its  being  a  miracle ;  secondly,  to  show,  that  such 
a  view  of  it  is  consistent  with  itself  and  with  all  the  details  of  the 
narrative ;  aud,  thirdly,  that  it  is  harmonious  with  what  pre- 
cedes and  what  follows  the  narrative.  The  second  aud  third  of 
these  arguments  will  be  the  outcome  of  our  later  study  of  the 
history  of  the  event ;  the  first,  that  no  other  explanation  of  the 
narrative  is  rationally  possible,  must  now  be  briefly  attempted. 

We  may  here  dismiss,  as  what  would  not  be  entertained  by  any 
one  familiar  with  historical  inquiries,  the  idea  that  such  a  narra- 
tive could  be  au  absolute  invention,  ungrounded  on  any  fact. 
Again,  we  may  put  aside  as  repugnant  to,  at  least  English,  com- 
mon sense,  the  theory  that  Lazarus  was  not  really  dead  (so,  the 
rationalists).  Nor  would  any  one,  who  had  the  faintest  sym- 
pathy with  the  moral  standpoint  of  the  Gospels,  entertain  the 
view  of  M.  Renan,  that  it  was  all  a  "pious  fraud"  concocted 
between  all  parties,  and  that,  in  order  to  convert  Jerusalem  by  a 
signal  miracle,  Lazarus  had  himself  dressed  up  as  a  dead  body 
and  laid  in  the  family  tomb. 

Scarcely  more  rational  is  M.  Renan's  latest  suggestion,  that  it 
was  all  a  misunderstanding  :  M.utha  and  Mary  having  told  Jesus 
the  wish  of  friends,  that  lie  sliculd  do  some  notable  miracle  to 
convince  the  Jews,  and  suggesting  that  they  would  believe  if  one 
rose  from  the  dead,  when  He  had  replied,  that  they  would  not 
believe  even  if  Lazarus  rose  from  his  grave — and  that  tradition 
had  transformed  this  conversation  into  an  actual  event !  I^or, 
finally,  would  English  common  sense  readily  believe  (with  Baur), 
that  the  whole  narrative  was  an  ideal  composition  to  illustrate 
what  must  be  regarded  as  the  metaphysical  statement:  "I  am 
the  Resurrection  and  the  Life."  Among  ourselves,  at  least,  no 
serious  refutation  of  these  and  similar  views  can  be  necessary. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Je.ius  the  .Vtss/ti/t,  Alfred  Edersheiiu,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.D,,  Ph.D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  310. 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  375 

**  Go,  Show  Yourselves  to  the  Priests !  ** 
As  both  Galilee  aud  Samaiua  were  uow  closed  to  Hiin,  He  could 
only  journey  ou  His  way  to  Perea,  dowu  iu  the  valley  of  Beth- 
sheau,  between  the  borders  of  both  proviuces.  There  a  very 
touching  iucideut  occurred.  Ou  the  outskirts  of  one  of  the  vil- 
lages, a  dull,  harsh,  plaintive  cry  smote  His  ears,  and  looking  up 
He  saw  "ten  men  who  were  lepers,"  united  iu  a  community  of 
deadly  misery.  They  were  afar  off,  for  they  dared  not  aj)proach, 
since  their  approach  was  pollution,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
warn  away  all  who  would  have  come  near  them  by  the  heart-rend- 
ing cry,     .     .     "Unclean!  unclean!" 

There  was  something  in  that  living  death  of  leprosy — recalling 
as  it  did  the  most  frightful  images  of  suffering  aud  degradation, 
corrupting  as  it  did  the  very  fountains  of  the  life-blood  of  man, 
distorting  his  countenance,  rendering  loathsome  his  touch,  slowly 
encrusting  and  affecting  him  with  a  plague-spot  of  disease  far  more 
horrible  than  death  itself — which  always  seems  to  have  thrilled 
the  Lord's  heart  with  a  keen  aud  instantaneous  compassion. 
And  never  more  so  than  at  this  moment. 

Scarcely  had  He  heard  their  piteous  cry  of  "  Jesus,  Master, 
have  mercy  ou  us,"  than  instantly,  without  suthcient  pause  even 
to  approach  them  more  nearly,  He  called  aloud  to  them,  "Go, 
show  yourselves  unto  the  priests."  They  knew  the  signifi- 
cance of  that  command  :  they  knew  that  it  bade  them  hurry  off  to 
claim  from  the  priest  the  recognition  of  their  cure,  the  certificate 
of  their  restitution  to  every  rite  and  privilege  of  human  life. 
Already,  at  the  sound  of  that  i^otent  voice,  they  felt  a  stream  of 
wholesome  life,  of  recovered  energy,  of  purer  blood,  pulsing 
through  their  veins  ;  and  as  they  went  they  were  cleansed. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  110. 

**  But  Where  Are  the  Nine  ?  ** 

And  it  came  to  i^ass,  as  they  were  on  their  way  to  Jerusalem, 
that  he  was  passing  along  the  border  of  Samaria  and  Galilee. 
And  as  he  entered  into  a  certain  village,  there  met  him  ten  men 
that  were  lepers,  who  stood  afar  oft' :  and  they  lifted  up  their 
voices,  saying,  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on  us. 

And  when  he  saw  them,  he  said  to  them,  Go  aud  show  your- 
selves to  the  priests. 


876      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  tliey  went,  they  were  cleansed. 

And  one  of  them,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  healed,  turned  back, 
with  a  loud  voice  glorifying  God  ;  and  he  fell  upon  his  face  at  his 
feet,  giving  him  thanks  :  and  he  was  a  Samaritan. 

And  Jesus  answering  said.  Were  not  the  ten  cleansed  ?  but 
where  are  the  nine?  Were  there  none  found  that  returned  to 
give  glory  to  God,  except  this  alien  ! 

And  he  said  to  him,  Get  up,  and  go  thy  way  :  thy  faith  has 
saved  thee. 

LuTce  xvii.  11-19.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

A  School  of  Magic  Would  Have  Been  the  Issue 

The  four  narrators  of  the  life  of  Jesus  are  unanimous  in  extolling 
his  miracles.  One  of  them,  Mark,  spokesman  of  the  Apostle  Peter, 
insists  so  much  on  this  point,  that,  if  we  were  to  trace  the  features 
of  the  Christ  only  according  to  this  Gospel,  we  should  think  of 
Jesus  as  an  exorcist  who  possessed  some  talisman  of  rare  efficacy, 
— a  very  potent  sorcerer,  who  inspired  fear,  and  whom  people 
wished  to  escape  from. 

We  will  admit,  then,  without  hesitation,  that  acts  which  would 
now  be  considered  as  showing  illusion  or  insanity  held  a  large 
place  in  the  life  of  Jesus.  Must  we  sacrifice  to  this  uninviting 
aspect  the  sublime  features  of  such  a  life!  No  such  thing  !  A 
mere  sorcerer  would  not  have  brought  about  a  moral  revolution 
like  that  effected  by  Jesus.  If  the  miracle- monger  had  effaced  in 
him  the  moralist  and  the  religious  reformer,  not  Christianity  but 
a  school  of  magic  would  have  been  the  issue. 
The  Life  of  Jesus,  Ernest  Renau,  p.  275. 

On  Marriage  and  Divorce 

And  there  came  unto  him  Pharisees,  testing  him,  and  saying,  Is 
it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause? 

And  he  answered  and  said,  Have  ye  not  read,  that  he  who  made 
them  from  the  beginning  made  them  male  and  female,  and  said, 
For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  mother,  and  shall 
cleave  to  his  wife  ;  and  the  two  shall  become  one  flesh  ?  So  that 
they  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh.  What  therefore  God  hath 
joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder. 


\Vm.   Hole 


"  BUT   WHERE    ARE    THE    NINE?  " 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  377 

They  say  unto  bim,  Why  theu  did  Moses  commaud  to  give  a 
bill  of  divorcement,  and  to  put  her  away  ? 

He  saith  unto  them,  Moses  for  your  hardness  of  heart  suffered 
you  to  put  away  your  wives  :  but  from  the  begiuuiug  it  hath  not 
been  so. 

And  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife,  except 
for  fornication,  and  shall  marry  another,  committeth  adultery:  aud 
he  that  marrieth  her  when  she  is  put  away  committeth  adultery. 

The  disciples  say  unto  him.  If  the  case  of  the  man  is  so  with  his 
wife,  it  is  not  expedient  to  marry.  But  he  said  unto  them,  ISTot 
all  men  receive  this  saying,  but  they  to  whom  it  is  given.  For 
there  are  eunuchs,  that  were  so  born  from  their  mother's  womb  : 
aud  there  are  eunuchs,  that  were  made  eunuchs  by  men :  and 
there  are  eunuchs,  that  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom 
of  heaven's  sake. 

He  that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it. 
Matthew  xix.  3-12.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

**  God  Made  Man  and  Woman  at  the  Same  Time  ** 
"  Have  you  never  read,"  answered  He,  "  that  the  Creator  of  men 
made  mau  and  woman  at  the  same  time,  in  the  very  beginning  of 
our  race,  aud  gave  them  to  each  other  as  husband  and  wife?  And 
do  you  not  know  that  so  intimate  was  the  relation  thus  instituted, 
that,  close  though  the  connection  be  between  parents  and  children, 
God  has  said  that  that  between  man  aud  wife  is  so  much  closer, 
that  a  son,  who,  before,  was  under  his  parents,  and  was  bound 
more  closely  to  them  thau  to  any  other  persons  in  the  world,  is  to 
separate  himself  from  his  father  and  mother  when  he  marries,  and 
to  form  a  still  nearer  relationship  with  his  wife — such  a  relation- 
ship that  the  two  shall  become,  as  it  were,  one.  As  soon  as  a  mau 
and  woman  are  married,  therefore,  the  two  make,  together,  only 
one  being.  But  since  it  is  God  who  has  joined  them  thus,  divorce 
is  the  putting  asunder  by  man  of  what  God  has  made  into  one. 
Marriage  is  a  sacred  union,  and  mau  is  not  to  regard  it  as  some- 
thing which  he  can  undo  at  his  pleasure." 

ISTothiug  could  be  said  against  this  from  natural  grounds,  but 
the  objection  lay  ready  tliat  the  law  of  Moses  was  not  so  strict, 
and  a  prospect  offered  of  forcing  Jesus  either  to  contradict  Him- 
self,  or   to  pronounce  openly  against  the  great  founder  of  the 


378      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

uatiou.  "If  this  be  so,"  said  they,  "how  comes  it  that  Moses 
permitted  a  man  to  divorce  his  wife  ?  for  you  know  that  he  says 
that  writings  of  divorcement  might  be  given  where  a  divorce  was 
wished,  aud  these  dissolved  the  marriage." 

"Moses,"  replied  our  Lord,  "did,  indeed,  suffer  you  to  put 
away  your  wives,  to  prevent  a  greater  evil.  He  did  so  as  a  states- 
man and  a  law-giver,  from  the  necessities  of  the  age,  which  made 
auy  better  law  impracticable.  Our  fathers  were  too  rude  aud 
headstrong  to  permit  his  doing  more.  But,  though  he  did  not 
prohibit  divorce,  because  the  feelings  of  the  times  did  not  allow 
him  to  do  so,  it  does  not  follow  from  this  that  his  action  in  this 
matter  was  the  original  law  of  the  Creator,  or  that  conscieuce  aud 
religion  sanction  such  separations.  I  say,  therefore,  that  whoever 
puts  away  his  wife,  except  for  fornicatiou,  which  destroys  the 
very  essence  of  marriage  by  dissolving  the  oneness  it  had  formed, 
and  shall  marry  another,  commits  adultery  ;  and  whoever  marries 
her  who  is  put  away  for  any  other  cause  commits  adultery,  be- 
cause the  woman  is  still,  in  God's  sight,  wife  of  him  who  has 
divorced  her." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  348. 

Children  Saw  in  Him  One  of  Themselves 
It  was  because  they  saw  in  him  one  of  themselves,  that  chil- 
dren gathered  at  his  knee.  In  a  deep  sense  Jesus  never  grew  up. 
To  the  disciplined  vigors  of  manhood  he  joined  the  wondering 
wisdom  and  the  joyousness  of  childhood — the  wide-open  hand 
and  heart.  A  genius  is  one  who  is  a  child  at  forty.  Jesus 
championed  the  cause  of  genius  against  the  care-laden  dulness  of 
a  civilization  cowed  by  its  possessions. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  123. 

**  Let  the  Little  Ones  Come  to  Me  ** 
And  they  were  bringing  little  children  to  him  that  he  might 

touch  them  :  aud  the  disciples  reproved  those  who  brought  them. 
But  Jesus  having  seen  this,  was  indignant,  and  said  to  them, 

"  Let  the  little  children  come  to  me,  and  do  not  hinder  them,  for 

the  kingdom  of  God  is  filled  with  this  sort. 

"Indeed,  I  tell  you,  Whoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom 

of  God  as  a  little  child,  shall  not  get  into  it  auy  way." 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  37:t 

Aud  having  taken  them  in  his  arms,  he  put  his  bauds  ou  them 
and  blessed  them. 

Mark  x.  13-16,     A  literal  renderiug  from  the  Greek. 

**  Lat  the  Wee  Bairns  Coom  tae  Me  ** 

The  Maister  sat  iu  a  wee  cot  house 

Tae  the  Jordan's  watters  uear, 
An'  the  fisherfolk  crush'd  aud  croodet  roon' 

The  Maister's  words  tae  hear. 

Au'  eveu  the  bairus  frae  nearhan'  streets 

Kept  mixiu'  iu  wi'  the  thrang, 
Laddies  and  lassies  wi'  wee  bare  feet, 

Jinkin'  the  crood  amang. 

An'  ane  o'  the  twal'  at  the  Maister's  side 

Ris  up  au'  cried  alood  : 
"  Come,  come,  bairus,  this  is  nae  place  for  you. 

Riu  awa'  oot  o'  the  crood." 

But  the  Maister  said,  as  they  turned  tae  go, 

"  Lat  the  wee  bairns  coora  tae  Me." 
An'  He  gaithert  them  roon'  Him  wbaur  He  sat, 

An'  lifted  ane  up  on  His  knee. 

Aye,  He  gaithert  them  roon'  Him  whaur  He  sat, 

An'  He  straikit  their  curly  hair, 
An'  He  said  to  the  wunnerin'  fisherfolk 

Wha  croodet  aroon'  Him  there  : 

"Send  na  the  weans  awa'  frae  Me, 

But  raither  this  lesson  learn. 
That  uane'll  win  iu  at  heaven's  yett  [gate] 

Wha  is  na  as  puir's  a  bairn." 

An'  He  that  has  ta'en  us  for  kith  and  kin, 

Tho'  a  Prince  o'  the  far  awa', 
Gaithert  them  roon'  Him  whaur  He  sat, 

An'  blisset  them  ane  an'  a'. 

The  Maister  and  the  Bnirns.  au  anonj'mous  Scotch  poem. 

A  Certain  Rich  Young  Man 
Aud  as  he  was  going  forth  on  his  way,  there  ran  one  to  him, 
aud  kneeled  to  him,  and  asked  him.  Good  Teacher,  what  shall  I 
do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life  ? 


380      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  Jesus  said  unto  hiin,  Why  callest  thou  me  good  *?  uoue  is 
good  save  oue,  even  God. 

Thou  knowest  the  commandments,  Do  not  kill.  Do  not  com- 
mit adultery.  Do  not  steal.  Do  not  bear  false  witness.  Do  not 
defraud.     Honour  thy  father  and  mother. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  Teacher,  all  these  things  have  I  ob- 
served from  my  youth. 

And  Jesus  looking  upon  him  loved  him,  and  said  unto  him, 
Oue  thiug  thou  lackest :  go,  sell  whatsoever  thou  hast,  and  give 
to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven  :  and  come, 
follow  me. 

But  his  countenance  fell  at  the  saying,  and  he  went  away  sor- 
rowful :  for  he  was  one  that  had  great  possessions. 
3Iark  x.  17-22.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals, 

Wished  to  Join  His  Chttrch 

A  young  man,  attracted  by  the  character  and  doctrines  of 
Jesus,  came  to  him  and  requested  permission  to  join  his  Church. 
He  was  of  noble  birth.  He  was  very  wealthy.  He  was  a  man 
of  exemplary  character  and  of  warm  enthusiasms.  He  had  been 
a  dutiful  son  and  an  upright  citizen.  He  was  very  much  in 
earnest.  He  came  running  to  Jesus,  kneeled  at  his  feet,  and 
addressed  him  as  "  Good  Master."  He  was  quite  ready  .  .  . 
to  accept  him  as  his  Rabbi.  It  is  not  quite  so  clear  that  he  was 
prepared  to  recognize  in  him  the  diviue  Messiah,  the  Son  of  God. 

Jesus  tried  the  depth  of  his  faith  in  this  respect  by  a  test  question. 

"  Why,"  said  he,  "callest  thou  me  good  ?  There  is  none  good 
but  one — God  !  "     To  this  question  the  young  man  made  no  reply. 

Jesus  was  nevertheless  strongly  attracted  to  him.  But  to  enter 
his  discipleship  there  had  been  from  the  first  one  condition — for- 
sake all  and  follow  him.  In  tliat  little  Church  it  was  absolutely 
essential  that  no  member  should  be  bound  by  any  ties  to  the 
earth  :  for  its  internal  harmony,  quite  essential  that  there  should 
be  no  distiuctious  based  on  wealth  or  family. 

"Go,"  said  he,  "  sell  that  thou  hast  and  give  to  the  poor,  and 
thou  shalt  have  treasures  in  heaven  ;  and  come  and  follow  me." 

This  demand  was  very  different  from  that  of  the  medieval 
hierarchy,  which  said.  Sell  that  thou  hast  and  give  to  the  Church. 
Jesus  simply  demanded  of  this  candidate  that  he  share  with  his 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  381 

compauions  their  privations,  tlieir  poverty,  and  their  faith  iu 
God.  He  laid  ou  him  no  other  cross  than  that  which  had  been 
voluntarily  assumed  by  all  his  disciples,  who  had  left  their  all  to 
follow  Jesus. 

But  this  was  too  much  for  the  rich  young  noble,  and  he  went 
away  sorrowful,  because  he  had  great  possessions.  Thus  Christ 
exemplified,  in  part,  the  meaning  of  his  counsel  : 

"  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate  ;  for  many  shall  seek  to 
enter  iu  and  shall  not  be  able." 

The  door  is  open  to  all,  but  it  is  entered  by  none  without  a 
struggle. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Lyman  Abbott,  p.  362. 

**  The  Great  RefusaP' 

The  youth  had  not  expected  a  reply  so  obvious  and  so  simple. 
He  cannot  believe  that  he  is  merely  referred  to  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments, and  so  he  asks,  in  surprise,  "What  sort  of  com- 
mandments 1 ' ' 

Jesus,  as  the  youth  wanted  to  do  something,  tells  him  merely 
of  those  of  the  Second  Table,  for,  as  has  been  well  remarked, 
"  Christ  sends  the  proud  to  the  Law,  and  invites  the  humble  to 
the  Gospel." 

"Master,"  replied  the  youth  in  surprise,  "all  these  have  I 
observed  from  my  youth." 

Doubtless  iu  the  mere  letter  he  may  have  done  so,  as  millions 
have  ;  but  he  evidently  knew  little  of  all  that  those  command- 
ments had  been  interpreted  by  the  Christ  to  mean. 

And  Jesus,  seeing  his  sincerity,  looking  on  him  loved  him,  and 
gave  him  one  short  crucial  test  of  his  real  condition.  He  was  not 
content  with  the  commonplace ;  he  aspired  after  the  heroical,  or 
rather  thought  that  he  did  ;  therefore  Jesus  gave  him  a  heroic  act 
to  do. 

"  One  thing,"  He  said,  "  thou  lackest,"  and  bade  him  go,  sell 
all  he  had,  distribute  it  to  the  poor,  and  come  and  follow  Him. 

It  was  too  much.  The  young  ruler  went  away  very  sorrowful, 
grief  in  his  heart,  and  a  cloud  upon  his  brow,  for  he  had  great 
possessions.  He  preferred  the  comforts  of  earth  to  the  treasures 
of  heaven  ;  he  would  not  purchase  the  things  of  eternity  by 
abandoning  those  of  time;   he  made,  as  Dante  calls  it,  'Hhe 


,^82      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

great  refusal."     And  so  lie  vanishes  from  the  Gospel  history  ; 
nor  do  the  Evangelists  know  anything  of  him  farther. 

But  the  sad,  stern  imagination  of  the  poet  follows  him,  and 
there,  among  the  myriads  of  those  who  are  blown  about  like 
autumn  leaves  on  the  confines  of  the  other  world,  blindly  follow- 
ing the  flutter  of  a  giddy  flag,  rejected  by  Heaven,  despised  even 
by  Hell,  hateful  alike  to  God  and  to  his  enemies,  he  sees    .     .     . 

"  The  shade  of  him 
Who  made,  through  cowardice,  the  great  refusal." 

{—Dante.) 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  161. 

"How  Hard  for  the  Rich  to  Get  into  the  Kingdom!** 

And  Jesus  looked  round  about,  and  saith  unto  his  disciples, 
How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  God  ! 

And  the  disciples  were  amazed  at  his  words. 

But  Jesus  answereth  again,  and  saith  unto  them,  Children, 
how  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trust  in  riches  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  !  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  a  needle's 
eye,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

And  they  were  astonished  exceedingly,  saying  among  them- 
selves. Then  who  can  be  saved '? 

Jesus  looking  upon  them  saith,  With  men  it  is  impossible,  but 
not  with  God  :  for  all  things  are  possible  with  God. 

Peter  began  to  say  unto  him,  Lo,  we  have  left  all,  and  have 
followed  thee. 

Jesus  said.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  There  is  no  man  that  hath 
left  house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  mother,  or  father,  or  chil- 
dren, or  lands,  for  my  sake,  and  for  the  gospel's  sake,  but  that 
he  shall  receive  a  hundredfold  now  in  this  time,  houses,  and 
brethren,  and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and  children,  and  lauds,  with 
persecutions :  and  in  the  world  to  come,  eternal  life. 

But  many  that  are  first  shall  be  last :  and  the  last  first. 
Mark  x.  23-31,     Revised  Version,  usiug  Marginals. 

Timidity  and  Stupidity  of  Wealth 
Property  is  a  natural   born  coward,   and  opposes  a  Chinese 
rigidity  to  every  suggestion  of  change.     Here  and  there  a  prop- 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  383 

ertied  individual  gets  over  being  timid  and  becomes  a  free  man  j 
but  this  is  an  acquired  trait.  Natively  the  pocket-book  has  a 
weak  heart — gets  palpitation  easily.  Regard  for  the  pocket-book 
makes  for  mediocrity,  for  a  "  safe,"  that  is,  a  conventional  career, 
timorous  of  change. 

Jesus  was  a  foe  to  anaemia  in  all  of  its  forms.  He  called  people 
to  live  on  the  pins  side  of  life  rather  than  on  the  minus  side.  He 
even  held  that  it  is  better  to  go  too  far  in  the  plus  direction  rather 
than  not  far  enough.  The  elder  brother  in  the  parable  has  one 
fault,  he  was  incurably  commonplace — uninteresting  respecta- 
bility. This  is  why  he  suffers  in  contrast  with  the  adventurous 
younger  brother.  The  curse  of  a  property-ridden  civilization  is 
its  unendurable  dulness.  Under  the  timidity  which  the  cares  of 
wealth  enforce,  spontaneity  is  crushed  out,  originality  is  choked  ; 
genius  dies,  smothered  beneath  the  ''goods  of  this  world." 

Jesus  could  not  sufficiently  stress  his  contempt  of  the  man  who 
has  gained  the  whole  world  but  has  lost  spirit. 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  120, 

Telling  the  Disciples  Again  "What  Was  before  Them 
And  they  were  on  the  way,  going  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  Jesus 
was  going  before  them  :  and  they  were  amazed  ;  but  some,  as 
they  followed,  were  afraid. 

And  he  took  again  the  twelve,  and  began  to  tell  them  the 
tiling^  that  were  to  happen  unto  him,  saying,  Behold,  we  go  up 
to  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered  unto  the 
chief  priests  and  the  scribes ;  and  they  shall  condemn  him  to 
death,  and  shall  deliver  him  unto  the  Gentiles :  and  they  shall 
mock  him,  and  shall  spit  upon  him,  and  shall  scourge  him,  and 
shall  kill  him  ;  and  after  three  days  he  shall  rise  again. 
Blark  x.  32-34.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

A  Joy  in  His  Eyes 

This  he  said,  with  a  joy  in  his  eyes  I  had  seldom  seen.  Then 
he  spoke  again,  and  his  voice  was  like  tender  music  in  our  ears. 

"No,  ray  children,  there  is  a  power  in  what  God  has  given  me 
to  reveal,  which  is  immortal.  Death  cannot  touch  it,  but  it  will 
conquer  death.  Therefore  be  not  alarmed,  if  those  who  hate  me 
seem  to  triumph  ;  for  the  decisive  hour  is  at  hand. 


384      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

''We  go  to  Jerusalem  soou,  and  for  the  last  time.  You  have 
seeu  me  patieut  while  I  have  taught  iu  Galilee,  but  uow  you  will 
see  me  firm.  The  hour  has  come  for  words  of  strength  :  the  final 
struggle  is  at  hand.  Those  who  have  power  iu  their  hands  by 
whom  the  people  have  been  led,  must  see  a  mightier  power  than 
their  own  iu  their  midst,  or  they  will  not  submit. 

"But  I  see  plainly  that  they  will  uot  yield.  So  long  they  have 
ruled,  that  they  will  not  surrender.  They  will  verily  think  that 
they  ought  to  kill  me,  and  thej^  will  kill  me.  Children,  you  go 
to  Jerusalem  to  see  me  die. " 

Life  and    Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  hy  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  223. 

Mistaken  Ambition  of  Salome  for  Her  Sons 

Then  came  to  him  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee  with  her 
sous,  worshiping  him,  and  asking  a  certain  thing  of  him. 

And  he  said  unto  her.  What  wouldest  thou  % 

She  saith  unto  him,  Command  that  these  my  two  sous  may  sit, 
cue  on  thy  right  hand,  and  one  on  thy  left  hand,  in  thy  kingdom. 

But  Jesus  answered  and  said.  Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask.  Are 
ye  able  to  drink  the  cup  that  I  am  about  to  drink  ? 

They  say  unto  him,  We  are  able. 

He  saith  unto  tliem,  My  cup  indeed  ye  shall  drink  :  but  to  sit 
on  my  right  hand,  and  on  my  left  hand,  is  not  mine  to  give,  but 
it  is  for  them  for  whom  it  hath  been  prepared  of  my  Father. 

And  when  the  ten  heard  it,  they  were  moved  with  indignation 
concerning  the  two  brethren. 

But  Jesus  called  them  unto  him  and  said.  Ye  know  that  the 
rulers  of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over  them,  and  their  great  ones 
exercise  authority  over  them.  Not  so  shall  it  be  among  you  : 
but  whosoever  would  become  great  among  you  shall  be  your 
servant ;  and  whosoever  would  be  first  among  you  shall  be  your 
slave:  even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto, 
but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many. 
Matthew  xx.  20-28.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

In  the  Region  of  Jericho 

The  upland  pastures  of  Perea  were  now  behind  them,  and  the 
road  led  down  to  the  sunken  channel  of  the  Jordan,  and  the 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  385 

"diviue  district"  of  Jericho.  This  small  but  rich  plain  was 
the  most  luxuriant  spot  in  Palestine.  Sloping  gently  upwards 
from  the  level  of  the  Dead  Sea,  1,350  feet  below  the  Mediter- 
ranean, to  the  stern  background  of  the  hills  of  Quarantana,  it  had 
the  climate  of  Lower  Egypt,  and  displayed  the  vegetation  of  the 
tropics.  Its  fig-trees  were  preeminently  famous :  it  was  unique 
in  its  groves  of  palms  of  various  kinds  :  its  crops  of  dates  were  a 
proverb  :  the  balsam-plant,  which  grew  principally  here,  fur- 
nished a  costly  perfume,  and  was  in  great  repute  for  healing 
wounds  :  maize  yielded  a  double  harvest :  wheat  ripened  a  whole 
month  earlier  than  in  Galilee,  and  innumerable  bees  found  a 
paradise  in  the  many  aromatic  flowers  and  plants,  not  a  few 
unknown  elsewhere,  which  filled  the  air  with  odors,  and  the  laud- 
scape  with  beauty. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  361. 

Going  to  Lodge  with  Zaecheus 

And  he  entered  and  was  passing  through  Jericho.  And  be- 
hold, a  man  called  by  name  Zacchseus ;  and  he  was  a  chief 
publican,  and  he  was  rich. 

And  he  sought  to  see  Jesus  who  he  was  ;  and  could  not  for  the 
crowd,  because  he  was  little  of  stature.  And  he  ran  on  before,  and 
climbed  up  into  a  sycamore  tree  to  see  him :  for  he  was  to  pass 
that  way. 

And  when  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up,  and  said  unto 
him,  Zacchseus,  make  haste,  and  come  down  ;  for  to-day  I  must 
abide  in  thy  house. 

And  he  made  haste,  and  came  down,  and  received  him  joy- 
fully. 

And  when  they  saw  it,  they  all  murmured,  saying,  He  is  gone 
to  lodge  with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner. 

And  Zacchteus  stood,  and  said  unto  the  Lord,  Behold,  Lord, 
the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor  ;  and  if  I  have  wrongfully 
exacted  aught  of  any  man,  I  restore  fourfold. 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  To-day  is  salvation  come  to  this 
house,  forasmuch  as  he  also  is  a  son  of  Abraham. 

For  the  Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost. 

Luke  xLx.  1-10.     Revised  Version. 


386      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

**Son  of  David,  Have  Mercy  on  Me!** 

And  as  he  went  out  from  Jericho,  with  his  disciples  and  a  great 
multitude,  the  son  of  Timseus,  Bartimseus,  a  blind  beggar,  was 
sittiug  by  the  wayside. 

And  when  he  heard  that  it  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  he  began  to 
cry  out  and  say,  Jesus,  thou  sou  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me. 

And  many  rebuked  him,  that  he  should  hold  his  peace  :  but 
he  cried  out  the  more  a  great  deal,  Thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  me. 

And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  said.  Call  ye  him. 

And  they  call  the  blind  man,  saying  unto  him.  Be  of  good 
cheer  :  rise,  he  calleth  thee. 

And  he,  casting  away  his  garment,  sprang  up,  and  came  to 
Jesus. 

And  Jesus  answered  him,  and  said.  What  wilt  thou  that  I 
should  do  unto  Ihee? 

And  the  blind  man  said  unto  him,  Rabboni,  that  I  may  receive 
my  sight. 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Go  thy  way ;  thy  faith  hath  saved 
thee.  And  straightway  he  received  his  sight,  and  followed  him 
in  the  way. 

Mark  x.  46-52.     Revised  Versiou,  using  oue  Marginal. 

**Fear  Not,  Arise,  He  Calleth  Thee!** 

(An  attempt  has  been  made  to  render  from  tlie  Greek  the  beautiful  dialogue 
between  the  blind  man  and  the  Master.     W.  W, ) 

Blind  Bartimeus  at  the  gates 
Of  Jericho  in  darkness  waits  ; 
He  hears  the  crowd  ;— he  hears  a  breath 
Say,  "  It  is  Christ  of  Nazareth  !  " 
And  calls  in  tones  of  agony, 
[Greek]  "Jesus,  have  mercy  now  on  me  !  " 

The  thronging  multitudes  increase  ; 
Blind  Bartimeus,  hold  thy  peace  ! 
But  still,  above  the  noisy  crowd, 
The  beggar's  cry  is  shrill  and  loud  ; 
Until  they  say,  "  He  calleth  thee  !  " 
[Greek]  "  Fear  not,  arise,  He  calleth  thee  !  " 


Wm.  Hole 


JESUS,    SON   OF   DAVID,   TAKE   PITY   ON  ME! 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  387 

Then  saith  the  Christ,  as  silent  stands 
The  crowd,  "What  wilt  thou  at  my  hands?  " 
And  he  replies,  "  O  give  me  light ! 
Rabbi,  restore  the  blind  man's  sight." 
And  Jesus  answers, 

[Greek]  "  Go  in  peace 

Thy  faith  from  blindness  gives  release  !  " 

Ye  that  have  eyes  yet  cannot  see, 
In  darkness  and  in  misery, 
Recall  those  mighty  Voices  Three, 
[Greek]  "  Jesus,  have  mercy  now  on  me  ! 
Fear  not,  arise,  and  go  in  peace  ! 
Thy  faith  from  blindness  gives  release  !  " 

Blind  BartimeuSf  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow,  Poetical  Works,  p.  22. 

Would  He  Come  up  to  the  Feast  ? 

Meanwliile,  all  classes  alike,  in  Jerusalem,  discussed  the  proba- 
bility of  Christ's  comiug  to  the  feast.  The  excitement  among  the 
people  was  evident,  and  increased  the  alarm  of  the  [Jewish  Church] 
party,  for  how  could  they  withstand  Him,  if  He  once  gained  general 
popular  support?  The  advice  of  Caiaphas  had,  therefore,  been 
accepted  as  the  policy  of  the  party  at  large,  and  orders  had  been 
issued  that  He  should  be  arrested  at  once,  when  found.  It  was 
even  required  that  any  one  who  knew  where  He  was  should  report 
it,  with  a  view  to  His  apprehension. 

In  the  midst  of  this  commotion,  Jesus  quietly  entered  Bethany, 
on  the  sixth  day  before  the  Passover.  It  was,  however,  impossi- 
ble for  Him  to  remain  concealed.  The  news  passed  from  mouth, 
to  mouth,  and  the  street  of  the  village  soon  became  thronged  with 
visitors,  who  came,  not  only  to  see  Him,  but  to  see  Lazarus  also, 
whom  they  heard  He  had  raised  from  the  dead.  The  high  priests 
began  to  question  whether  they  could  not  manage  to  put  him, 
also,  to  death.  The  sight  of  him  was  winning  many  disciples  to 
Jesus.     They  would  try. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  368. 

The  Swpper  in  Bethany 
Now  the  Passover  of  the  Jews  was  at  hand  :  and  many  went  up 
to  Jerusalem  out  of  the  country  before  the  passover,  to  purify 
themselves. 


388      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

They  souglit  therefore  for  Jesus,  and  spake  one  with  another, 
as  they  stood  in  the  temple,  What  think  ye.  That  he  will  not 
come  to  the  feast  ? 

Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  had  given  command- 
ment, that  if  any  man  knew  where  he  was,  he  should  shew  it, 
that  they  might  take  him. 

Jesus  therefore  six  days  before  the  passover  came  to  Bethany, 
where  Lazarus  was,  whom  Jesus  raised  from  the  dead. 

So  they  made  him  a  supper  there :  and  Martha  served ;  but 
Lazarus  was  one  of  them  that  sat  at  meat  with  him. 

Mary  therefore  took  a  pound  of  ointment  of  genuine  uard,  very 
precious,  and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with 
her  hair :  and  the  house  was  filled  with  the  odour  of  the  ointment. 

But  Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  his  disciples,  which  should  betray  him, 
saith,  Why  was  not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred  shillings, 
and  given  to  the  poor'? 

Now  this  he  said,  not  because  he  cared  for  the  poor  ;  but  be- 
cause he  was  a  thief,  and  having  the  box,  took  away  what  was 
put  therein. 

Jesus  therefore  said.  Let  her  alone  to  keep  it  against  the  day  of 
my  burying.  For  the  poor  ye  have  always  with  you  ;  but  me  ye 
have  not  always. 

The  common  people  therefore  of  the  Jews  learned  that  he  was 
there  :  and  they  came,  not  for  Jesus'  sake  only,  but  that  they 
might  see  Lazarus  also,  whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dead. 

But  the  chief  priests  took  counsel  that  they  might  put  Lazarus 
also  to  death  ;  because  that  by  reason  of  him  many  of  the  Jews 
went  away,  and  believed  on  Jesus. 

John  xi.  55-xii.  11.     Revised  Version ,  using  Marginals. 

The  Most  Touching  Expression  of  Love  He  Ever  Received 

The  action  of  Mary  in  itself  is  a  revelation  of  perhaps  the  most 
wonderful  and  touching  expression  of  love  the  Saviour  ever  re- 
ceived, while  the  action  of  Judas  was  the  most  dastardly  to  which 
He  was  ever  subjected.  Mary's  love  is  the  brightest  gleam,  and 
Judas's  treachery  the  darkest  shade  in  these  final  hours.  It  is 
important,  moreover,  that  they  should  thus  be  closely  connected, 
and  that  the  one  should  have  led  directly  to  the  other.  Contact 
with  Christ  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Cross  always  brings  the 


A  FUGITIVE  ONCE  MORE  389 

true  character  to  the  light.  The  strong  sympathetic  love  of  Mary, 
and  the  instinct  of  greed  which  cursed  Judas,  are  revealed  at  the 
same  time. 

The  action  of  Mary  according  to  the  King's  interpretation  of  it, 
was  a  revelation  of  the  fact  that  she  had  in  some  measure  appre- 
hended the  sorrows  of  His  heart. 

The  criticism  of  the  disciples  was  a  revelation  of  how  far  they 
were  away  from  Him  in  these  days  of  His  supreme  sorrow. 

His  defence  of  Mary  is  full  of  beauty,  and  constitutes  the  only 

occasion  when  He  suggested  that  a  memorial  should  be  granted 

to  any  one  in  this  world. 

The  Analyzed  Bible,  The   Rev.  G.  Campbell    Morgan,  D,  D.,    The    Gospel 
According  to  Blatthew,  p.  277. 

One  Deep  Love  Doth  Supersede  All  Other 

Her  eyes  are  homes  of  silent  prayer, 

Nor  other  thought  her  mind  admits 

But,  he  was  dead,  and  there  he  sits, 
And  He  that  brought  him  back  is  there. 

Then  one  deep  love  doth  supersede 

All  other,  when  her  ardent  gaze 

Roves  from  the  living  brother's  face, 
And  rests  upon  the  Life  indeed. 

All  subtle  thought,  all  curious  fears, 
Borne  down  by  gladness  so  complete, 
She  bows,  she  bathes  her  Saviour's  feet 

With  costly  spikenard  and  with  tears. 

Thrice  blest  whose  lives  are  faithful  prayers, 

Whose  loves  in  higher  love  endure  ; 

Whose  souls  possess  themselves  so  pure, 
Or  is  there  blessedness  like  theirs  ? 

In  Memoriam,  Alfred  Tennyson,  Poetical  Works,  p.  114. 


XXIX 

LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE 

"If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou  !  " 

— Jesus  the  Christ. 

No  More  Precious  Possession 

Christianity  has  uo  more  precious  possession  than  the  memory 
of  Jesus  during  the  week  when  He  stood  face  to  face  with  death. 
Unspeakably  great  as  He  always  was,  it  may  be  reverently  said 
that  He  was  never  so  great  as  during  those  days  of  direst  calamity. 
All  that  was  grandest  and  all  that  was  most  tender,  the  most  hu- 
man and  the  most  divine  aspects  of  His  character,  were  brought 
out  as  they  had  never  been  before. 

He  came  to  Jerusalem  well  aware  that  He  was  about  to  die. 
For  a  whole  year  the  fact  had  been  stariug  Him  constantly  in  the 
face,  and  the  long-looked-for  had  come  at  last.  He  knew  it 
was  His  Father's  will,  and,  when  the  hour  arrived.  He  bent  His 
steps  with  sublime  fortitude  to  the  fatal  spot.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, without  a  terrible  conflict  of  feelings  ;  the  ebb  and  flow  of 
the  most  diverse  emotions — anguish  and  ecstasy,  the  most  pro- 
longed and  crushing  depression,  the  most  triumphant  joy  and  the 
most  majestic  peace — swayed  hither  and  thither  within  Him  like 
the  moods  of  a  vast  ocean. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  120. 

**  Behold,  Thy  King  Is  Coming  »- 

When  they  approached  Jerusalem,  and  came  to  Bethphage,  on 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  then  Jesus  sent  two  disciples,  saying  to  them, 

"  Go  into  the  village  opposite,  and  immediately  you  shall  find 
an  ass  tied,  and  a  colt  with  her  :  let  them  loose ,  and  bring  them 
to  me. 

"And  if  any  one  says  anything  to  you,  you  shall  say,  'The 
Lord  hath  need  of  them  ' ;  and  he  will  send  them  at  once. " 

Now  this  has  come  to  pass,  in  order  that  it  might  be  fulfilled 
which  was  spoken  through  the  prophet,  saying, 

390 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         891 

"  Tell  the  daughter  of  Zion, 
Behold,  thy  King  cometh  unto  the«, 
Meek,  aud  riding  upon  an  ass, 
And  upon  a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass." 

Matthew  xxi.  1-5.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

The  Whole  Multitude  Began  to  Rejoice 

Aud  they  that  were  seut  went  away,  and  found  it  just  as  he 
had  said  to  them. 

And  as  they  were  untying  the  colt,  the  owners  of  it  said  to 
them,  "  Why  are  you  letting  the  colt  loose  ?  " 

And  they  said,  "The  Lord  has  need  of  it." 

Aud  they  brought  it  to  Jesus  :  and  they  threw  their  garments 
upou  the  colt,  aud  set  Jesus  upon  it. 

And  as  he  went,  they  spread  their  garments  in  the  way.  And 
as  he  was  now  coining  near,  just  at  the  descent  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  the  whole  multitude  of  the  disciples  began  to  rejoice  and 
praise  God  with  a  loud  voice  for  all  the  mighty  works  which 
they  had  seen,  chanting, 

"Blessed  is  the  King  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 
peace  in  heaven,  aud  glory  in  the  highest  ! ' ' 
Luke  xix,  32-38.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

The  People  and  the  Pharisees 

The  common  people  that  had  come  to  the  feast,  when  they 
heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to  Jerusalem,  took  the  branches  of 
the  palm  trees,  aud  went  forth  to  meet  him,  and  cried  out, 
Hosanna ;  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
even  the  Kiug  of  Israel. 

Aud  Jesus,  having  found  a  young  ass,  sat  on  it ;  as  it  is 
written, 

Fear  not,  daughter  of  Ziou  :  behold,  thy  King  cometh,  sitting 
on  an  ass's  colt. 

These  things  his  disciples  did  not  understand  at  first :  but  when 
Jesus  was  glorified,  then  they  remembered  that  these  things  were 
written  of  him,  and  that  they  had  done  these  things  to  him. 

John  xii.  12-16,     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals  and  ancient  authorities. 

And  some  of  the  Pharisees  from  the  multitude  said  unto  him, 
Master,  rebuke  thy  disciples. 


392      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  he  answered  and  said,  I  tell  you  that,  if  they  hold  their 
peace,  the  stones  will  cry  out. 
Luke  xix.  39,  40.     Ke vised  Version. 

The  multitude  therefore  that  was  with  him  when  he  called 
Lazarus  out  of  the  tomb,  and  raised  him  from  the  dead,  bare 
witness. 

For  this  cause  also  the  multitude  went  and  met  him,  for  that 
they  heard  that  he  had  done  this  sign. 

The  Pharisees  therefore  said  among  themselves,  Behold  how  ye 
prevail  nothing  :  lo,  the  world  is  gone  after  him  ! 
John  xii.  17-19.     Revised  Version. 

**  Give  Victory,  O  God,  to  the  Son  of  David !  ** 
There  were  three  paths  over  the  Mount  of  Olives — on  the  north, 
in  the  hollow  between  the  two  crests  of  the  hill ;  next,  over  the 
summit ;  and  on  the  south,  between  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  the 
Hill  of  Offence — still  the  most  frequented  and  the  best.  Along 
this  Jesus  advanced,  preceded  and  followed  by  multitudes,  with 
loud  cries  of  rejoicing,  as  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  when  the 
great  Hallel  was  daily  sung  in  their  processions.  [As  they  do  in 
the  East]  their  acclamations  took  a  rhythmical  form,  which  was 
long  chanted  in  the  early  Church,  as  the  first  Christian  hymn. 

*'  Give  (Thou)  the  triumph,  (O  Jehovah),  to  the  Son  of  David  ! 
Blessed  be  the  kingdom  of  our  Father  David,  now  to  be  restored  in  the 

name  of  Jehovah  ! 
Blessed   be  He  that  cometh — the   King  of    Israel — in  the  name  of 

Jehovah  ! 
Our  peace  and  salvation  (now  comiug)  are  from  God  above  ! 
Praised  be  He  in  the  highest  heavens  (for  sending  them  by  Him,  the  Son 

of  David)  ! 
From  the  highest  heavens,  send  Thou,  now,  salvation  !  " 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  11,  p.  373. 

The  Choir  Invisible 
In  all  triumphal  processions  there  is  a  "choir  invisible,"  ac- 
companying the  visible  throng.  Sometimes  they  are  chanting 
dirges  over  the  wrecks,  the  distress  and  poverty  and  bloodshed, 
ravaged  fields,  ruined  villages,  widows  and  orphans,  crimes  and 
cruelties,  which  the  victories  left  in  their  path.     Sometimes  they 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         393 

are  singing  hymns  of  joy  over  the  good  accomplished,  the  progress 
of  all  that  is  good  for  man,  intermingled  with  many  a  minor 
chord  of  sorrow. 

If  Christ  had  opened  the  eyes  of  those  looking  upon  this  scene 
as  the  eyes  of  Elisha's  servant  were  opened,  so  that  they  might 
see  the  invisible  and  hear  the  inaudible,  no  pen  could  picture  the 
real  triumphant  procession.  They  would  have  seen  the  vast 
multitude  of  those  whom  he  had  healed  and  comforted  and  saved 
from  sin, — Lazarus,  Bartimeus,  the  ten  lepers,  the  widow  of  Nain's 
son,  the  ruler's  daughter,  a  host  of  those  whom  he  had  raised 
from  the  dead,  those  from  whom  he  had  cast  out  devils,  the  blind 
whom  he  had  made  to  see,  and  the  lame  who  now  walked,  the 
lepers  he  had  cleansed,  those  who  had  been  delivered  from  the 
bondage  of  their  si  us  and  brought  to  the  light  of  the  Gospel. 
There  would  join  them  the  angels  who  sang  at  his  birth,  Moses 
and  Elijah,  who  appeared  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and 
the  twelve  legions  of  angels  he  once  said  were  ready  at  his  call. 
Heaven  would  swiftly  have  emptied  itself,  and  all  its  choirs  would 
joyfully  have  come  down  to  do  him  honor,  and  sing  their  songs 
of  joy  over  many  sinners  brought  to  repentance. 

The  triumphs  of  Caesar  and  Pompey  were  but  child's  play  to 
this.  Not  all  of  earth's  monarchs  together  could  have  summoned 
such  a  procession.  Imagination  fails  to  paint  the  picture  of 
Christ's  real  triumphal  procession.  What  a  j)icture  this  would 
make  for  an  artist  who  would  fill  the  air  around  and  above  the  ac- 
tual procession  with  these  persons,  as  the  space  around  Raphael's 
picture  of  the  infant  Jesus  is  filled  with  a  cloud  of  angel  faces. 

Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  for  1901,  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D., 
p.  25. 

**0  That  Thou  Hadst  Known!" 
And  when  he  came  near,  he  saw  the  city  and  wept  over  it,  say- 
ing, O  that  thou  hadst  known  in  this  day,  even  thou,  the  things 
which  belong  unto  peace  !     But  now  they  are  hidden  from  thine 
eyes. 

For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee,  when  thine  enemies  shall 
throw  up  an  embankment  and  compass  thee  round,  and  besiege 
thee  in  on  every  side,  and  shall  dash  thee  to  the  ground,  and 
thy  children  within  thee ;  and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee  one 


394      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

stoue  upon  another  ;  because  thou  didst  not  know  the  time  of  thy 
visitation. 

Luke  sir.  41-44.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Scene  Overpowered  Even  Himself 

The  whole  scene  was  overpowering,  even  to  Jesus  Himself. 
He  was  crossing  the  ground  on  which,  a  generation  later,  the 
tenth  Roman  legion  would  be  encamped,  as  part  of  the  besieg- 
ing force  destined  to  lay  all  the  splendour  before  Him  in  ashes. 
Knowing  the  future  as  He  did,  His  heart  was  filled  with  inde- 
scribable sadness,  for  He  was  a  patriot  aud  a  man,  though  also 
the  Son  of  God.  Looking  at  the  spectacle  before  Him,  aud  think- 
ing of  the  contrast  a  few  years  would  show,  tears  burst  from  His 
eyes,  and  His  disciples  heard  Him  sayiug — "Would  that  thou 
hadst  known,  thou,  Jerusalem,  in  this  thy  day,  when"  I  come, 
who,  alone,  can  bring  it — what  would  giv^e  thee  peace  and  safety  ! 
But  now,  thou  seest  not  what  only  could  make  them  thine — the 
receiving  me  as  the  Messiah  !  Days  will  come  upon  thee,  when 
thine  enemies  will  raise  a  mount  about  thee,  and  compass  thee 
round,  and  invest  thee  on  every  side,  aud  level  thee  with  the 
ground,  and  bury  thy  children  under  thy  ruins,  aud  leave  not  one 
stone  in  thee  upon  another,  because  thou  kuewest  not  the  time 
when  God,  through  me,  offered  thee  salvation  ! " 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  375. 

After  Looking  arottnd  in  the  Temple 
And  when  he  was  come  into  Jerusalem,  all  the  city  was  stirred, 
saying,  "Who  is  this? 

And  the  multitudes  said,  This  is  the  prophet,  Jesus,  from 
Nazareth  of  Galilee. 

llattheiv  xxi,  10,  11.     Revised  Version. 

And  he  returned  iuto  Jerusalem,  into  the  temple  ;  and  when  he 
had  looked  rouud  about  upon  all  things,  it  beiug  now  eventide, 
he  went  out  to  Bethany  with  the  twelve. 
Mark  xi.  11.     Revised  Version. 

What  Would  Have  Happened  ? 
There  is  no  point  in  the  life  of  Jesus  at  which  we  are  more 
urged  to  ask,  What  would  have  happened  if  His  claim  had  been 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         396 

conceded — if  the  citizens  of  Jerusalem  had  been  carried  away 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  provincials,  and  the  prejudices  of 
priests  and  scribes  had  been  borne  down  before  the  torrent  of 
public  approval?  Would  Jesus  have  put  Himself  at  the  head 
of  the  nation  and  inaugurated  an  era  of  the  world's  history  totally 
different  from  that  which  followed?  These  questions  very  soon 
carry  us  beyond  our  depth,  yet  no  intelligent  reader  of  the 
Gospels  can  help  asking  them. 

Jesus  had  formally  made  offer  of  Himself  to  the  capital  and  the 
authorities  of  the  nation,  but  met  with  no  response.  The  pro- 
vincial recognition  of  His  claims  was  insufficient  to  carry  a 
national  assent.  He  accepted  the  decision  as  final.  The  multi- 
tude expected  a  signal  from  Him,  and  in  their  excited  mood 
would  have  obeyed  it,  whatever  it  might  have  been.  But  He 
gave  them  none,  and,  after  looking  round  about  Him  for  a  little 
in  the  temple,  left  them  and  returned  to  Bethany. 
The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  116. 

Blasting  a  Fig-tree 
Now  in  the  morning  as  he  returned  to  the  city,  he  was  hungry. 
And  seeing  a  fig-tree  by  the  wayside,  he  came  to  it,  and  found 
nothing  on  it  but  leaves ;  and  he  said  to  it, 

"  Let  there  be  no  fruit  from  thee  henceforth  for  ever  !  " 
Mattheiv  xxi.  18,  19.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek, 

And  as  they  passed  by  in  the  morning  [after],  they  saw  the  fig- 
tree  withered  away  from  the  roots. 

And  Peter  calling  to  remembrance  said  to  him,  "Rabbi,  look  ! 
The  fig-tree  which  thou  didst  curse  is  withered  away." 

And  Jesus  answering  said  to  them,  ' '  Have  faith  in  God.  Indeed 
I  say  to  you,  Whoever  shall  say  to  this  mountain,  '  Be  taken  up 
and  thrown  into  the  sea'  ;  and  shall  not  doubt  in  his  heart,  but 
shall  believe  that  what  he  says  is  coming  to  pass  ;  he  shall  have  it. 

"  Therefore  I  say  to  you.  All  things  whatever  you  pray  and  ask 
for,  believe  that  you  receive  them,  and  you  shall  have  them. 
And  whenever  you  stand  praying,  forgive,  if  you  have  anything 
against  any  one ;  that  your  Father  also  who  is  in  heaven  may 
forgive  you  your  trespasses." 

Mark  xi.  20-25.    A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 


396      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

His  Only  Miracle  of  Judgment 

On  His  way  to  the  city,  the  King  performed  the  only  miracle 
of  judgment  which  He  ever  wrought,  as  He  by  a  word  of  com- 
mand destroyed  the  fig-tree,  whereon  He  found  nothing  but 
leaves. 

This  action  impressed  His  disciples,  and  they  inquired  "How 
did  the  fig-tree  immediately  wither  away?  "  It  is  interesting  to 
notice  that  they  did  not  ask  why  He  destroyed  the  tree,  but  how 
He  did  it.  There  is  nothing  in  the  story  to  suggest  either  that 
they  understood  His  meaning,  or  that  they  did  not.  I  think  that 
it  is  most  probable  that  they  thoroughly  understood,  but  they 
were  perplexed  as  to  tlie  swiftness  of  the  judgment,  for  we  notice 
that  the  word  immediately  is  twice  used,  once  in  Matthew's  de- 
scription of  what  happened,  and  once  in  the  inquiry  of  the 
disciples. 

Moreover,  He  did  not  give  them  any  explanation  of  the  mean- 
ing, but  answered  the  question  as  they  asked  it,  affirming  the 
power  of  faith,  and  the  power  of  prayer,  as  at  their  disposal  for 
doing  even  more  wonderful  things  than  they  had  seen  done. 

There  can,  however,  be  no  doubt  that  the  value  of  the  miracle 
was  parabolic.  There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  discussion  as  to  this 
act  of  the  Lord,  as  though  in  itself  it  were  out  of  harmony  with 
strict  justice,  esj)ecially  in  view  of  Mark's  declaration  that  "it 
was  not  the  season  of  figs."  That  declaration  was  evidently 
literally  true,  for  these  thiugs  happened  in  March,  and  the  first 
fig  crop  is  not  gathered  until  June.  On  the  other  hand,  the  early 
fruit  buds  appear  on  the  fig-tree  in  February,  and  its  leaves  unfold 
in  March.  On  this  fig-tree  the  Lord  found  nothing  but  leaves 
only.  It  is  evident  that  there  would  be  no  fruit  on  this  tree  be- 
cause its  vitality  had  run  to  leaf.  In  that  it  was  a  perfect  picture 
of  the  Jewish  nation,  and  His  judgment  on  the  tree  was  an  equally 
perfect  symbol  of  the  judgment  to  fall  on  the  Jewish  nation. 

The  Analyzed  Bible,  The   Rev.  G.  Campbell    Morgan,   D.  D.,   The  Gospel 
According  to  Matthew,  p.  233. 

Is  Modern  Religion  **  the  Barren  Fig-tree  ?  ** 

(The  Vieiv  of  an  Enlightened  Oriental) 

Why  did  Jesus  rebuke  the  fig-tree?  Thoughtless  men  exult  in 
the  absurdity  of  the  act.     Yet  the  fig-tree  that  is  full  of  leaves, 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         397 

aud  does  uot  show  a  fruit  upon  which  the  wayfarer  can  satisfy 
his  hunger,  contains  within  itself  a  pregnant  lesson.  It  reminds 
us  of  the  .  vane,  how  "every  branch  that  beareth  not  fruit  he 
purgeth  it,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit," 

The  vine-branch  withereth,  and  men  cast  it  into  the  fire  ;  the 
fig-tree  also  withereth  to  its  roots.  Unfertile  piety  is  a  curse. 
It  is  a  by-word  for  the  heathen,  and  a  hissing  for  the  infidel. 
The  religious  man  who  abounds  in  words,  as  the  fig-tree  in  leaves, 
who  is  full  of  doctrines  and  authorities,  but  cannot  yield  a  prac- 
tical life  upon  which  tired  wayfarers  can  quench  their  hunger 
aud  thirst,  only  cumbers  the  ground. 

The  test  of  religion  is  in  its  reproductiveness.  Any  church  that 
practically  does  no  good  must  cause  its  own  removal.  And  any 
church-member  who  does  not  bring  forth  an  abundance  of  good 
fruit  must  be  taken  away,  and  cast  into  the  fire. 

The  barrenness  of  speculation,  the  fruitless  controversies  often 
indulged  in,  the  fine,  unprofitable  sermons  which  pulpits  put 
forth  every  summer  aud  winter,  the  dearth  of  genuine  spirituality 
and  practical  usefulness  in  religious  bodies,  might  very  well 
necessitate  the  parable  of  the  fig-tree. 

Unless  our  creeds  fertilize  the  world,  and  our  lives  furnish  meat 
aud  drink  to  mankind,  the  curse  uttered  on  barrenness  will  descend 
upon  us. 

The  Oriental  Christ,  P.  C.  Mozoomdar,  p.  109. 

The  Children  in  the  Temple 

And  Jesus  entered  the  temple  and  threw  out  all  those  who  sold 
aud  bought  in  the  temple,  and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money- 
changers, and  the  seats  of  those  that  sold  doves  ;  and  he  said  to 
them. 

It  is  written.  My  house  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer  :  but 
you  make  it  a  den  of  robbers. 

And  the  blind  and  the  lame  came  to  him  in  the  temple  :  and 
he  healed  them. 

But  when  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  saw  the  wonderful 
things  that  he  did,  and  the  children  that  were  crying  in  the 
temple  and  saying,  Hosanna  to  the  son  of  David ;  they  were 
moved  with  indignation,  and  said  to  him,  Hearest  thou  what 
these  are  saying  ? 


398      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Aud  Jesus  said  to  them,  Yes  :  did  you  uever  read,  Out  of  the 
mouth  of  babes  aud  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise  1 

And  he  left  them,  and  went  forth  out  of  the  city  to  Bethany, 
and  lodged  there. 

Matthew  xxi.  12-17.     Revised  Version,  with  ancient  and  modern  authorities. 

"  By  Whose  Authority  ?  ** 

And  it  came  to  pass,  on  one  of  the  days,  as  he  was  teaching  the 
people  in  the  temple,  and  preaching  the  gospel,  there  came  upon 
him  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  with  the  elders  ;  and  they 
spoke,  saying  to  him. 

Tell  us  :  by  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things  1  or  who  is 
he  that  gave  thee  this  authority  ? 

And  he  answered  and  said  to  them,  I  also  will  ask  you  a 
question  ;  and  tell  me  : 

The  baptism  of  John,  was  it  from  heaven,  or  from  men  ? 

Aud  they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying,  If  we  shall  say. 
From  heaven,  he  will  say.  Why  did  you  not  believe  him?  But 
if  we  shall  say.  From  men,  all  the  people  will  stone  us  :  for  they 
are  persuaded  that  John  was  a  prophet. 

And  they  answered  that  they  did  not  know  where  it  was  from. 

And  Jesus  said  to  them.  Neither  do  I  tell  you  by  what  authority 
I  do  these  things. 

Luke  XX.  1-8.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc, 

**  I  Will  Ask  You  One  Question  ♦* 
Jesus  looked  at  them  calmly,  and  replied,  "I,  also,  will  ask 
you  one  question.     If  ye  answer  me,   I  will  tell  you  by  what 
authority  I  do  these  things.     The  baptism  of  John  the  Baptist — 
was  it  from  heaveu,  or  of  men  ?  " 

Never  saw  I  men  so  confused.  Astonishment  came  over  them, 
and  they  hastily  consulted  together.  All  saw  the  dilemma  in 
which  they  were  placed  by  this  question  which  seemed  so  simi)le  ; 
for,  if  they  admitted  that  John  was  sent  by  God,  Jesus  would 
then  have  asked  why  tliey,  the  Great  Council,  who  claimed  the 
power  to  know  and  decide  concerning  all  prophets,  had  not  be- 
lieved in  him?  They  would  thus  admit,  that  either  by  their  own 
ignorance,  or  disobedience  to  God's  will,  they  had  rejected  a 
prophet  of  God.     Having  done   this,   what  right  had  they  to 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         399 

decide  ou  the  claims  of  Jesus  ?  But  tliey  dared  not  say,  iu  the 
presence  of  the  people,  that  John  had  not  been  sent  by  God  ;  for 
the  death  of  John,  slain  by  Herod  for  his  fidelity,  had  made  him 
sacred  in  the  eyes  of  the  nation.  He  was  now  its  great  saint  and 
martyr. 

Therefore  the  delegates  hesitated,  and  at  last  replied  that  they 
could  not  say.  Then  Jesus  replied,  ''Neither  tell  I  you  by  what 
authority  I  do  these  thiugs."  And  all  men  justified  Jesus,  say- 
ing, "  If  these  scribes  and  rulers  are  so  ignorant  of  the  things  of 
God,  what  right  have  they  to  decide  upon  the  claims  of  this 
prophet  of  Galilee  ?  " 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Related  by   Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  345, 

The  Sadducees  Try  to  Entrap  Him 

And  there  came  to  him  certain  of  the  Sadducees,  the  ones  who 
say  tl^ere  is  no  resurrection ;  and  they  asked  him,  saying, 
"Teacher,  Moses  wrote  for  us,  that  if  a  man's  brother  die,  having 
a  wife,  and  he  be  childless,  his  brother  should  take  the  wife,  and 
raise  up  children  for  his  brother. 

"There  were,  for  instance,  seven  brothers:  and  the  first  took 
a  wife,  and  died  childless  ;  and  the  secoud  ;  and  the  third  took 
her  ;  and  in  the  same  way  the  seven  also  left  no  children,  and 
died.     Afterward  the  woman  also  died. 

"In  the  resurrection,  therefore,  of  which  brother  shall  she  be 
the  wife  ?    For  the  seven  had  her  as  wife. " 

And  Jesus  said  to  them,  "The  sous  of  this  age  marry  and  are 
giveu  in  marriage  :  but  they  that  are  accounted  worthy  to  attain 
to  that  world,  and  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  neither  marry, 
nor  are  giveu  iu  marriage  :  for  neither  can  they  die  any  more  : 
for  they  are  equal  to  the  angels  ;  and  are  sons  of  God,  being  sous 
of  the  resurrection. 

"  But  that  the  dead  are  raised,  even  Moses  showed,  in  the  place 
coucerniug  the  Bush,  when  he  called  the  Lord  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob. 

"  Now  he  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living  :  for  all 
live  for  him." 

Aud  certain  of  the  scribes  answering  said,  "  Teacher,  thou  hast 
well  said." 

Luke  XX.  27-39.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 


400      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Pharisees  and  Herodians 

And  they  send  to  him  certain  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the 
Herodians,  that  they  might  catch  him  in  talk.  And  when  they 
had  come,  they  say  to  him.  Teacher,  we  know  that  thou  art  true, 
and  carest  not  for  any  one  :  for  thou  regardest  not  the  person  of 
men,  but  of  a  truth  teachest  the  way  of  God  :  Is  it  lawful  to  give 
tribute  to  Caesar,  or  not  ?     Shall  we  give,  or  shall  we  not  give  ? 

But  he,  knowing  their  hypocrisy,  said  to  them,  Why  do  you 
try  me?    Bring  me  a  shilling,  that  I  may  see  it. 

They  brought  it,  and  he  said  to  them,  Whose  is  this  image  and 
suj)erscription  ? 

And  they  said  to  him,  Csesar's. 

And  Jesus  said  to  them,  Render  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Csesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's. 

And  they  wondered  greatly  at  him. 
Mark  xii.  13-17.     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals  etc, 

"Render  to  Caesar  the  Things  That  Are  Caesar's  ** 

"  You  hypocrites  ? — you  actors  !  "  replied  He  ;  "  I  see  through 
your  designs,  and  value  your  deceitful  flatteries  at  their  worth. 
Why  do  you  thus  seek  to  entrap  me,  under  pretence  of  religious 
scruples,  which  you  wish  me  to  solve  for  you!  Bring  me  the 
coin  you  pay  as  the  Roman  tax." 

A  Roman  denarius  was  presently  brought  Him — a  coin  which 
the  Jew  hated  intensely,  for  it  was  that  in  which  the  poll  tax  was 
paid,  and  was,  thus,  the  sign  of  slavery  to  the  heathen.  Besides, 
it  bore  the  idolatrous  image  of  the  Roman  emperor,  Tiberius,  and 
the  legend  of  his  authority.  The  emperors,  to  Vespasian,  to 
spare  Jewish  feeling,  had  a  special  coinage  struck  for  Judea, 
without  a  likeness  on  it,  and  only  the  name  of  the  emperor  and 
the  traditional  Jewish  emblems.  But  other  coins,  stamped  with 
the  image  of  Augustus  or  Tiberius,  naturally  found  their  way  to 
Jerusalem,  especially  at  the  feasts.  Such  a  coin  was  now  handed 
to  Jesus,  with  the  hope,  doubtless,  that  the  double  abomination — 
the  idolatrous  image  on  one  side,  and  the  legend  of  Jewish  sub- 
jection on  the  other — might  provoke  Him  to  some  treasonable 
expression.     But  the  result  proved  the  reverse. 

"  Whose  image  and  superscription  is  this  ?  "  asked  He. 

"Caesar's." 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         401 

"  Render,  then,  to  Caesar,  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  to 
God,  the  things  that  are  God's." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  394. 

A  Scribe  Who  Was  Not  Far  from  the  Kingdom 

And  one  of  the  scribes  came,  and  heard  them  questioning  to- 
gether, and  knowing  that  he  had  answered  them  well,  asked  him, 
What  commandment  is  the  first  of  all  f 

Jesus  answered,  The  first  is,  Hear,  O  Israel ;  The  Lord  our 
God,  the  Lord  is  one :  and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
from  all  thy  heart,  and  from  all  thy  soul,  and  from  all  thy  mind, 
and  from  all  thy  strength. 

The  second  is  this.  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 
There  is  none  other  commandment  greater  than  these. 

And  the  scribe  said  to  him,  Of  a  truth.  Teacher,  thou  hast  well 
said  that  he  is  one  ;  and  there  is  none  other  but  he  :  and  to  love 
him  with  all  the  heart,  and  with  all  the  understanding,  and  with 
all  the  strength,  and  to  love  his  neighbour  as  himself,  is  much 
more  than  all  whole  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices. 

And  when  Jesus  saw  that  he  answered  discreetly,  he  said  to 
him,  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God. 
3Iark  xii.  28-34.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

They  Dared  Not  Ask  Him  Another  Question 

Now  while  the  Pharisees  were  gathered  together,  Jesus  asked 
them  a  question,  saying,  What  do  you  think  of  the  Christ,  whose 
son  is  he  *? 

They  say  to  him.  The  son  of  David. 

He  said  to  them,  How  then  does  David  in  the  Spirit  call  him 
Lord,  saying, 

The  Lord  said  to  my  Lord, 

Sit  on  my  right  hand, 

Till  I  put  thine  enemies  underneath  thy  feet  ? 

If  David  then  calls  him  Lord,  how  is  he  his  son  ? 
And  no  one  was  able  to  answer  him  a  word,  nor  did  any  man 
dare  from  that  day  on  to  ask  him  any  more  questions. 
Matthew  xxii.  41-46.     Rarised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


402      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Gifts  with  a  G^mmefcial  Value  in  the  Future  World 
.  .  .  Jesus  passed  into  the  great  forecourt  of  the  women, 
fifteen  steps  below  that  of  the  men.  It  was  a  wide  space  of  a 
hundred  and  thirty-five  cubits  in  length  and  breadth,  and  was 
open  to  the  people  at  large.  Popular  assemblies,  indeed,  were  at 
times  held  in  it,  and  it  was  the  scene  of  the  torch-dance  at  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles.  It  was  especially  frequented,  however,  by 
both  sexes,  because  the  building  was  there  in  which  the  pious 
presented  their  offerings. 

Jesus  had  sat  down  to  rest,  after  the  multiplied  excitements  of 
the  past  hours,  over  against  the  treasury,  where  the  continuous 
stream  of  persons  casting  in  their  money  necessarily  attracted  His 
notice.  As  each  came,  He  could  judge  by  his  appearance  how 
much  he  threw  in.  The  poor  could  only  give  paltry  coins,  but 
the  rich  cast  in  gold  and  silver  ;  some,  doubtless,  from  an  honest 
zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  ;  others,  because  alms,  in  the  sordid 
theology  of  the  day,  had  their  commercial  value  in  the  future 
world. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  408. 

The  Poor  Widow^s  Farthing 

And  he  sat  down  opposite  the  treasury,  and  saw  how  the  crowd 
cast  coin  into  the  treasury :  and  many  that  were  rich  threw  in 
much. 

And  there  came  a  poor  widow,  and  she  dropped  in  two  mites, 
which  make  a  farthing.  And  he  called  to  him  his  disciples,  and 
said  to  them,  "  Truly  I  say  to  you,  this  poor  widow  put  in  more 
than  all  those  that  are  casting  into  the  treasury  :  for  they  all  threw 
in  of  their  superfluity  ;  but  she  of  her  want  put  in  all  that  she 
had,  even  all  her  living." 

Mark  xii.  41-44.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

The  Others  Cast  Away,  She  Only  Gave 

Two  mites,  two  drops,  yet  all  her  house  and  land 
Fall  from  a  steady  heart,  though  trembling  hand  ; 
The  others'  wanton  wealth  foams  high,  and  brave  ; 
The  others  cast  away,  she  oulj'  gave. 

The  Widow^s  Elites.     Richard  Crashaw,  A  Neio  Library  of  Poetry  and  Song. 
Edited  by  William  Cullen  Bryant,  p.  362. 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE        403 

"  Sir,  We  Wish  to  See  Jesus  ** 

Now  there  -were  certain  Greeks  among  those  that  went  up  to 
worship  at  the  feast :  these  therefore  came  to  Philip,  who  was  of 
Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  and  asked  him,  saying.  Sir,  we  would  see 
Jesus. 

Philip  Cometh  and  telleth  Andrew :  Andrew  cometh,  and  Philip, 
and  they  tell  Jesus. 

And  Jesus  answereth  them,  saying, 

The  hour  is  come,  that  the  Son  of  man  should  be  glorified. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  a  grain  of  wheat  fall  into 
the  earth  and  die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone ;  but  if  it  die,  it 
beareth  much  fruit.  He  that  loveth  his  life  loseth  it ;  and  he 
that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  to  life  eternal. 

If  any  man  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me ;  and  where  I  am, 
there  shall  also  my  servant  be  :  if  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  the 
Father  honor. 

Now  is  my  soul  troubled  ;  and  what  shall  I  say "?  Father,  save 
me  from  this  hour.     But  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this  hour. 

Father,  glorify  thy  name. 

There  came  therefore  a  voice  out  of  heaven,  saying,  I  have  both 
glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it  again. 

The  multitude  therefore,  that  stood  by  and  heard  it,  said 
that  it  had  thundered :  others  said.  An  angel  hath  spoken  to 
him. 

Jesus  answered  and  said,  This  voice  hath  not  come  for  my  sake, 
bat  for  your  sakes.  Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world :  now 
shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out. 

And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto 
myself. 

But  this  he  said,  signifying  by  what  manner  of  death  he 
should  die. 

The  multitude  therefore  answered  him,  "We  have  heard  out  of 
the  law  that  the  Christ  abideth  for  ever  :  and  how  sayest  thou, 
The  Son  of  man  must  be  lifted  up  ?    Who  is  this  Son  of  man  ? 

Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them.  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light 
among  you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light,  that  darkness  over- 
take you  not :  and  he  that  walketh  in  the  darkness  knoweth  not 
whither  he  goeth.  While  ye  have  the  light,  believe  on  the  light, 
that  ye  may  become  sons  of  light. 


404      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  he  depai'ted  aud  hid  himself 
from  them. 

John  xii.  20-36,     American  Revision. 

The  Jews  Reject  Their  Messiah 

But  though  he  had  done  so  many  signs  before  them,  yet  they 
did  not  believe  in  him :  that  the  word  of  Isaiah  the  prophet 
might  be  fulfilled  which  he  spake. 

Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report? 

Aud  to  vs-hom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed? 

For  this  cause  they  could  not  believe,  for  that  Isaiah  said 
again  : 

He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,  and  he  hardened  their  heart ; 

Lest  they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  perceive  with  their  heart, 

And  should  turn. 

And  I  should  heal  them. 

These  things  said  Isaiah,  because  he  saw  his  glory  ;  and  he 
spoke  of  him. 

Nevertheless  many,  even  of  the  rulers,  believed  on  him ;  but 
because  of  the  Pharisees  they  did  not  confess  him,  lest  they  should 
be  put  out  of  the  synagogue  :  for  they  loved  the  glory  of  men 
more  than  the  glory  of  God. 

And  Jesus  cried,  sayiug  :  He  that  believes  on  me,  believes  not 
on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent  me.  And  he  that  beholds  me  be- 
holds him  that  sent  me.  I  am  come  a  light  into  the  world,  that 
whoever  believes  in  me  may  not  abide  in  the  darkness.  And  if 
any  man  hear  my  sayings,  and  keep  them  not,  I  judge  him  not : 
for  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world  but  to  save  the  world.  He  that 
rejects  me  and  receives  not  my  sayings,  has  one  that  judges  him  : 
the  word  that  I  spoke,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day. 

For  I  spoke  not  from  myself ;  but  the  Father  who  sent  me,  he 
has  given  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and  what  I 
should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  commandment  is  life  eter- 
nal :  the  things  therefore  which  I  speak,  even  as  the  Father  has 
said  to  me,  so  I  speak. 

John  xii.  37-50.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         405 

Judaism  Had  Chosen  Its  Own  Way 
The  theology  aud  hieiarchy  of  Judaism  had  become,  iu  fact, 
what  Jesus  opeuly  declared  them — whitewashed  sepulchres,  pure 
to  the  eye,  but  with  death  aud  corruptiou  within.  They  had 
proved  that  they  were  so,  by  rejectiug  Him,  because  He  de- 
m^auded  moral  aud  religious  reform.  Wedded  to  the  false  aud 
immoral,  they  rather  killed  Him  thau  let  Him  lead  them  back 
to  God. 

Over  such  a  state  of  thiugs  He  could  ouly  raise  His  sad  lameu- 
tatiou  !     Judaism  had  chosen  its  own  way,  and  left  Him  to  His. 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  407. 

Warnings  of  the  End  of  the  Temple,  and  of  the  Wofid 

Aud  Jesus  went  out  from  the  temple,  aud  was  goiug  ou  his 
way  ;  and  his  disciples  came  to  him  to  show  him  the  buildings  of 
the  temple. 

But  he  answered  aud  said  to  them,  Do  you  not  see  all  these 
things?  Verily  I  say  to  you,  there  shall  not  be  left  here  one 
stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down. 

And  as  he  sat  on  the  mount  of  Olives,  the  disciples  came  to  him 
privately,  saying.  Tell  us,  wheu  shall  these  things  be?  and  what 
shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? 

Aud  Jesus  answered  and  said  to  them,  Take  heed  that  no  man 
lead  you  astray.  For  many  shall  come  in  my  name,  saying,  I  am 
the  Christ ;  aud  shall  lead  many  astray.  And  you  shall  hear  of 
wars  and  rumours  of  wars  :  see  that  you  are  not  troubled  :  for  these 
things  must  needs  come  to  pass  ;  but  the  end  is  not  yet. 

For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom  against  king- 
dom :  aud  there  shall  be  famines  aud  earthquakes  in  divers  places. 
But  all  these  thiugs  are  the  beginniug  of  travail. 

Then  they  shall  deliver  you  up  to  tribulatiou,  and  shall  kill  you  : 
and  you  shall  be  hated  for  my  name's  sake. 

And  then  shall  many  stumble,  aud  shall  deliver  up  one  another, 
and  shall  hate  one  another. 

Aud  many  false  prophets  shall  arise,  aud  shall  lead  many  astray. 
And  because  iniquity  shall  be  multiplied,  the  love  of  the  many 
shall  grow  cold. 

Bat  he  that  endures  to  the  end  the  same  shall  be  saved. 

And  these  good  tidings  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  the 


406      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

whole  inhabited  earth  for  a  testimony  to  all  the  nations ;  and  then 
shall  the  end  come. 

When  therefore  you  see  the  abomination  of  desolation,  which 
was  spoken  of  through  Daniel  the  prophet,  standing  in  the  holy 
place,  (let  him  that  reads  understand),  then  let  them  that  are  in 
Judea  flee  to  the  mountains  :  let  him  that  is  on  the  housetop  not 
go  down  to  take  out  the  thiugs  that  are  in  his  house  :  and  let  him 
that  is  in  the  field  not  return  back  to  take  his  cloak. 

But  woe  to  them  that  are  with  child  and  to  them  that  give  suck 
in  those  days ! 

And  pray  that  your  flight  may  not  be  in  the  winter,  nor  on  a 
sabbath  :  for  then  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  has  not  been 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world  until  now,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be. 
And  except  those  days  had  been  shortened,  no  flesh  would  have 
been  saved :  but  for  the  elect's  sake  those  days  shall  be  shortened. 

Then  if  any  man  shall  say  to  you,  Lo,  here  is  the  Christ,  or, 
here,  believe  him  not. 

For  there  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  prophets,  aud  shall 
show  great  signs  and  wonders  ;  so  as  to  lead  astray,  if  j)0ssible, 
even  the  elect.     Behold,  I  have  told  you  beforehand. 

If  therefore  th6y  shall  say  to  you.  Behold,  he  is  in  the  wilder- 
ness ;  go  not  forth  :  Behold,  he  is  in  the  inner  chambers  ;  believe 
him  not.  For  as  the  lightning  cojnes  forth  from  the  east,  and  is 
seen  even  from  the  west ;  so  shall  be  the  j)resence  of  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  man.  Wherever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the 
vultures  be  gathered  together. 

But  immediately,  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days,  the  sun 
shall  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light,  aud  the 
stars  shall  fiill  from  heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heaven  shall 
be  shaken  :  and  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in 
heaven :  aud  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and 
they  shall  see  the  Sou  of  man  coming  on  the  clouds  of  heaven 
with  power  aud  great  glory.  And  he  shall  send  forth  his  angels 
with  a  trumpet  of  great  souud,  and  they  shall  gather  together  his 
elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other. 

Now  from  the  fig-tree  learn  her  parable :  when  her  branch  is 
now  become  tender,  and  puts  forth  its  leaves,  you  know  that  the 
summer  is  near  ;  even  so  you  also,  when  you  see  all  these  things, 
know  you  that  he  is  near,  even  at  the  doors. 


TELLING   THEM   OF    COMING   DESTRUCTION 


LAST  DAYS  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         407 

Truly  I  saj  to  you,  this  geneiatiou  shall  uot  pass  away,  till  all 
these  thiugs  are  accomplished. 

Heaven  aud  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words  shall  not  pass 
away.  But  of  that  day  aud  hour  uo  oue  knows,  uot  eveu  the 
augels  of  heaven,  but  the  Father  ouly. 

Aud  as  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  be  the  preseuce  of  the  Sou  of 
man.  For  as  iu  those  days  which  were  before  the  flood  they  were 
eatiug  aud  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  iu  marriage,  until  the 
day  that  Noah  entered  the  ark,  and  they  knew  uot  until  the 
flood  came,  aud  took  them  all  away  ;  so  shall  be  the  presence  of 
the  Sou  of  man. 

And  there  shall  two  men  be  iu  the  field  ;  oue  is  taken,  aud  oue 
is  left :  two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill ;  oue  is  taken, 
aud  one  is  left. 

Watch  therefore  :  for  you  know  uot  ou  what  day  your  Lord  is 
coming.  But  know  this,  that  if  the  master  of  the  house  had 
known  iu  what  watch  the  thief  was  coming,  he  would  have 
watched,  aud  would  uot  have  allowed  his  house  to  be  broken  into. 

Therefore  be  also  ready  :  for  in  an  hour  that  you  think  not  the 
Son  of  man  is  coming. 

Who  then  is  the  faithful  aud  wise  servant,  whom  his  lord  has 
set  over  his  household,  to  give  them  their  food  iu  due  season  ? 
Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom  his  lord  when  he  comes  shall  find 
so  doing.  Indeed  I  say  to  you,  that  he  will  set  him  over  all  that 
he  has. 

But  if  that  evil  servant  shall  say  iu  his  heart,  My  lord  is  de- 
laying, aud  shall  begin  to  beat  his  fellowservauts,  aud  shall  eat 
and  drink  with  the  drunken  ;  the  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come 
in  a  day  when  he  does  not  expect  and  iu  an  hour  when  he  is  uot 
aware,  aud  shall  severely  scourge  him,  aud  appoint  his  portion 
witli  the  hypocrites  :  there  shall  be  the  weepiug  aud  gnashing  of 
teeth. 

Blatlheiv  xxiv.  1-51.     Revised,  nsiug  Marginals,  modernised,  etc. 

A  Last  Sad  Look  of  Quenchless  Pity- 
It  was  still  early  iu  the  afternoon,  aud  He  might  have  stayed 
iu  the  Temple  till  it  shut  at  sunset,  then  a  few  minutes  after  six 
iu  the  evening.     But  these  were  almost  the  last  words  He  was  to 
speak  as  a  public  teacher.     His  mission  to  His  nation  was  ended. 


408      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

There  remained  only  a  brief  interval  of  communion  with  the 
loved  ones  round  Him,  and,  then,  would  come  the  consummation 
of  Calvary,  His  work  was  over,  except  the  final  and  greatest 
act  of  all.  Casting  a  last  sad  look  of  quenchless  pity  on  all,  He 
turned  away  to  Bethany,  to  seek  seclusion  till  the  time  came  for 
His  self-sacrifice.     .     .     . 

Once  more,  only,  was  the  pleading  voice  raised.  A  number 
of  those  near  apparently  followed  Him  as  He  retired,  and  He 
could  not  tear  Himself  from  them,  without  a  final  outburst  of 
yearning  desire  for  their  salvation.  Turniug  round,  and  raisiug 
His  voice  till  the  sound  rang  far  and  wide,  He  cried  : — 

''Think  not  that  the  faith  I  demand  in  myself  in  any  way 
lessens  or  takes  from  the  faith  that  is  due  to  God.  To  believe  in 
me,  and  to  believe  in  God,  are  the  same  thing.  He  who  has  that 
faith  in  me,  which  the  proofs  I  have  given  of  my  being  sent  from 
God  demand,  believes  not  so  much  in  me  as  in  Him  who  sent  me. 
And  thus,  also,  he  who  looks  on  me  as  on  Him  who  sent  me— on 
the  Godhead  of  my  Father  revealed  in  me.  In  me  ye  have  a 
light.  I  came  into  the  world  to  enlighten  men,  that  every  one 
who  yields  himself  to  my  guidance,  may  be  as  when  one  walks 
after  a  light,  and  may  no  louger  remain  in  the  darkness  of  igno- 
rance, superstition  and  sin. 

"Yet  if  any  one  who  hears  my  words,  refuses  to  believe  in  me 
— let  him  not  think  that  I  shall  inflict  judgment  on  him  for  his 
refusal.  The  end  of  my  coming  is  not  to  judge  the  world,  but, 
rather,  to  save  it  from  eternal  ruin.  He  who  rejects  me,  my 
words,  and  my  deeds,  has  in  his  own  breast  a  judge  that  will 
condemn  him  hereafter.  The  truth  I  have  spoken,  in  the  name 
of  God,  which  he  has  refused  to  receive,  will  condemn  him  in  his 
own  conscience  at  the  last  day,  and  will  condemn  him  also  from 
the  lips  of  the  great  Judge.  For  the  words  I  have  spoken  have 
been  no  mere  utterances  of  my  own  ;  I  have  taught  only  that 
which  I  was  commissioned  by  my  Father  to  speak,  and  I  know 
that  my  teaching,  if  obeyed  and  followed,  secures  everlasting  life 
to  men.  All  that  I  say  is  only  what  my  Father  has  told  me  to 
speak  in  His  name.  Therefore,  let  no  man  think  that  I  speak 
anything  but  that  which  ray  Father  has  given  me  to  proclaim.  I 
am  He  whom  God  hath  sent,  and  my  words  are  the  words  of  God." 
The  Life  atid  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningliam  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  413, 


LAST  DAY;^;  IN  HIS  FATHER'S  HOUSE         409 

**Not  One  Stone  Left  upon  Another  !  '* 

"  Master,"  said  they,  "see  what  a  woudio us  structure  this  is. 
What  stoues  !  what  buildings  !  what  spleudour  !  what  wealth  ! 
How  the  whole  Temple  rises,  terrace  above  terrace,  from  the 
great  white  walls,  to  the  Holy  Place,  shining  with  gold  !  and  it 
is  not  finished  even  yet !  " 

The  Temple,  says  Josephus,  was  built  of  white  stones  of  great 
size — the  length  of  each  about  thirty-seven  and  a  half  feet,  some 
even  forty -five  feet, — the  thickness  twelve  feet,  and  the  breadth 
eighteen. 

But  Jesus  looked  at  all  this  strength,  wealth,  and  magnificence, 
with  very  different  eyes.  To  Him  the  Jewish  theocracy  had  out- 
lived its  day,  and  had  sunk  into  moral  decrepitude  and  ap- 
proaching death,  which  the  mere  outward  splendour  of  its  Temple 
could  not  hide.  Israel,  in  rejecting  Him,  the  Voice  of  God,  call- 
ing it  to  rise  to  new  spiritual  life,  had  shown  itself  ripe  for 
divine  judgment.  His  own  death,  already  determined  by  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities,  and  now  close  at  hand,  would  seal  the 
fate  of  the  nation  and  its  religion.  It  would  be  the  proclamation 
of  the  passing  away  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth  from  Judaism, 
now  dead  in  forms  and  rites,  to  the  heathen  nations  willing  to  re- 
ceive its  spirit  and  liberty.     .     .     . 

"Yes,"  said  Jesus,  in  utter  sadness,  "I  see  all  :  they  are  very 
great  buildings,  but  I  tell  you  solemnly,  the  day  will  come  when 
there  will  not  be  one  stone  of  them  all  left  on  another,  not  thrown 
down." 

llie  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuuingham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p,  415. 

**  After  Two  Days  the  Son  of  Man  Is  to  Be  Delivered  «p !  ** 
And  every   day   he   was  teaching  in  the  temple  ;  and  every 
night  he  went  out,  and  lodged  on  the  mount  that  is  called  the 
Mount  of  Olives.     And  all  the  people  came  early  in  the  morning 
to  him  in  the  temple,  to  hear  him. 
Lulce  xxi.  37,  38.     Revised  Version. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  finished  all  these  words, 
he  said  unto  his  disciples.  Ye  know  that  after  two  days  the  pass- 
over  Cometh,  and  the  Son  of  man  is  delivered  up  to  be  crucified. 
Matthew  xxvi.  1,  2.     Revised  Version. 


XXX 

THE  BASEST  CONSPIRACY  OF  ALL 

Treason  like  a  deadly  bligbt. 

— Moore. 

The  Terrible  Night-Study  of  Jodas 
.  It  is  a  terrible  night-studj ,  that  of  Judas.  We  seem  to  tread 
our  way  over  loose  stoues  of  hot  molteu  lava,  as  we  climb  to  the 
edge  of  the  crater,  aud  shudderiogly  look  down  its  depths.  And 
yet  there,  uear  there,  have  stood  uot  only  St.  Peter  in  the  night 
of  his  denial,  but  mostly  all  of  us,  save  they  whose  angels  have 
always  looked  up  into  the  face  of  our  Father  in  heaven.  And 
yet,  iu  our  weakness,  we  have  even  wept  over  them  !  There, 
near  there,  have  we  stood,  not  in  the  hours  of  our  weakness,  but 
in  those  of  our  sore  temptation,  when  the  blast  of  doubt  had  al- 
most quenched  the  flickering  light,  or  the  storm  of  passion  or  of 
self-will  broken  the  bruised  reed.  But  He  prayed  for  us— aud 
through  the  night  came  over  desolate  moor  aud  stony  height  the 
light  of  His  presence,  and  above  the  wild  storm  rose  the  voice  of 
Him  who  has  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 
Yet  near  to  us,  close  to  us,  was  the  dark  abyss  ;  and  we  can  never 
more  forget  our  last,  almost  sliding,  foothold  as  we  quitted  its 
edge. 

A  terrible  night  study  this  of  Judas,  and  best  to  make  it  here, 
at  once,  from  its  beginning  to  its  end.  We  shall  indeed,  catch  a 
sudden  glimpse  of  him  again,  as  the  light  of  the  torches  flashes 
on  the  traitor-face  iu  Gethsemane  ;  and  once  more  hear  his  voice 
in  the  assemblage  of  the  haughty,  sneering  councilors  of  Israel, 
when  his  footfall  on  the  marble  pavement  of  the  Temple-halls, 
and  the  clink  of  those  thirty  accursed  pieces  of  silver  shall 
waken  the  echoes,  wake  also  the  dirge  of  despair  in  his  soul,  and 
he  shall  flee  from  the  night  of  his  soul  into  the  night  that  for  ever 
closes  around  him. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Ederaheim,  M.  A.  Oxou., 
D.D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  471. 

410 


THE  BASEST  CONSPIRACY  OF  ALL  411 

From  De  Quincey^s  Apology 

The  miscalculatiou,  ...  of  Judas  Iscariot  .  .  .  did 
uot  hiuge  at  all  upou  political  oversight,  but  upon  a  total  spiritual 
bliuduess ;  iu  which  blinduess,  however,  he  weut  no  farther  than 
at  that  time  did  probably  most  of  his  brethren.  Upon  them,  quite 
as  little  as  upon  Mm,  had  yet  dawned  the  true  grandeur  of  the 
Christian  scheme.  In  this  only  he  outran  his  brethren — that, 
sharing  in  their  blinduess,  he  greatly  exceeded  them  in  presump- 
tion. All  alike  had  imputed  to  their  Master  views  utterly  irrecon- 
cilable with  the  grandeur  of  his  new  and  heavenly  religion. 

It  was  no  religion  at  all  which  they,  previously  to  the  cruci- 
fixion, supposed  to  be  the  object  of  Christ's  teaching  ;  it  was  a 
mere  preparation  for  a  pitiably  vulgar  scheme  of  earthly  aggran- 
dizement. But,  whilst  the  other  apostles  had  simply  failed  to 
comprehend  their  Master,  Judas  has  presumptuously  assumed  that 
he  did  comprehend  him  ;  and  understood  his  purposes  better  than 
Christ  himself.  His  object  was  audacious  in  a  high  degree,  but 
(according  to  the  theory  which  I  am  explaining)  for  that  very  reason 
not  treacherous  at  all.  The  more  that  he  was  liable  to  the  approach 
of  audacity,  the  less  can  he  be  suspected  of  perfidy.  He  supposed 
himself  executing  the  very  innermost  purposes  of  Christ,     .     . 

His  hope  was,  that,  when  at  length  actually  arrested  by  the  Jew 
ish  authorities,  Christ  would  no  longer  vacillate ;  he  would  be  forced 
into  giving  the  signal  to  the  i^opulace  of  Jerusalem,  who  would 
then  rise  unanimously,  for  the  double  purpose  of  placing  Christ 
at  the  head  of  an  insurrectionary  movement,  and  of  throwing 
off  the  Roman  yoke.  As  regards  the  worldly  prospects  of  this 
scheme,  it  is  bj^  no  means  improbable  that  Iscariot  was  right.  It 
seems,  indeed,  altogether  impossible  that  he,  who  (as  treasurer 
of  the  apostolic  fraternity)  had,  in  all  likelihood,  the  most  of 
worldly  wisdom,  and  was  best  acquainted  with  the  temper  of  the 
times,  could  have  made  any  gross  blunder  as  to  the  wishes  and 
secret  designs  of  the  populace  in  Jerusalem. 

Essays  on    ChrisiinnUy,    Paganism   and  Superstiiion,    Thomas  De  Quincey, 
Judas  Iscariot,  p.  228. 

Conspiring  with  the  Priests 

Now  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  drew  nigh,  which  is  called 
the  Passover. 


412      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  the  chief  priests  aud  the  scribes  sought  how  they  might 
put  him  to  death  ;  for  they  feared  the  people. 
Luke  xxii.  1,  2. 

Theu  were  gathered  together  the  ruling  priests  aud  the  elders  of 
the  people,  at  the  court  of  the  high  priest,  who  was  called  Caia- 
phas ;  aud  they  took  couusel  together  that  they  might  take  Jesus 
by  craftiness,  aud  kill  him.  But  they  said,  "Not  during  the 
feast,  lest  a  tumult  arise  among  the  people." 

Matthew  xxvi.  3-5.     A  literal  reuderiDg  from  the  Greek. 

And  Satan  entered  iuto  Judas,  who  was  called  Iscariot,  being 
of  the  number  of  the  twelve. 

Aud  he  went  away,  and  consulted  with  the  chief  priests  aud 
cai)taius,  how  he  might  deliver  him  to  them. 

And  they  were  glad,  and  covenanted  to  give  him  money. 

And  he  consented,  aud  sought  opportunity  to  deliver  him  to 
them  in  the  absence  of  the  multitude. 
Luke  xxii.  3-6.     Revised  Versiou,  etc. 

*  The  Price  of  a  Slave !  *' 

Jesus  would  soou  returu  to  the  city.  Judas  could  find  out  his 
movements  in  advance,  he  would  inform  them  at  once,  they  would 
arrest  him  quietly,  aud  before  the  people  had  a  chance  to  shout 
rescue  for  their  persecuted  deliverer  they  could  be  persuaded 
that  he  was  only  a  condemned  crimiual,  an  enemy  to  the  nation. 

When  it  came  to  settling  the  price  of  the  bargain,  all  in  the 
room  saw  that  they  were  dealing  with  a  madman. 

"The  price  of  a  slave  !  The  price  of  a  slave  !  "  he  kept  cryiug 
in  a  querulous  monotone. 

And,  as  if  he  were  a  child  to  be  petted  aud  pleased,  they 
weighed  out  to  him  at  once  the  few  pitiful  coins,  only  about 
twenty-three  dollars,  which  he  hastily  dropped  iuto  his  bag,  aud 
theu  hurried  furtively  away. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byrou  Forbush,  p.  219. 

Did  Jes«s  Suspect  the  Treachery  ? 
And  the  uext  day — the  Wednesday  in  Passion  week — must  have 
baffled  him.     Each  day  Jesus  had  left  Bethanj'^  in  the  morning 


THE  BASEST  CONSPIRACY  OF  ALL  413 

and  had  goue  to  Jerusalem.  Why  did  He  not  go  on  that  day  ? 
Did  He  suspect  treachery  ?  That  day  in  the  Temple  courts  the 
multitude  listened  for  His  voice  in  vain.  Doubtless  the  people 
waited  for  Him  with  intense  expectation  ;  doubtless  the  priests 
and  Pharisees  looked  out  for  Him  with  sinister  hope  ;  but  He  did 
not  come.  The  day  was  spent  by  Him  in  deep  seclusion,  and  so  far 
as  we  know,  in  perfect  rest  and  silence.  He  prepared  Himself  in 
peace  and  prayer  for  the  awfulness  of  His  coming  struggle.  It 
may  be  that  He  wandered  alone  to  the  hilly  uplands  above  and 
around  the  quiet  village,  and  there,  under  the  vernal  sunshine, 
held  high  communing  with  His  Father  in  heaven.  But  how  the 
day  was  passed  by  Him  we  do  not  know.  A  veil  of  holy  silence 
falls  over  it.  He  was  among  the  few  who  loved  Him  and  believed 
in  Him.  To  them  He  may  have  spoken,  but  His  work  as  a 
teacher  on  earth  was  done. 

And  on  that  night  He  lay  down  for  the  last  time  on  earth.  On 
the  Thursday  morning,  He  woke  never  to  sleej)  again. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  275. 

Preparing  for  the  Passover 

And  on  the  first  day  of  unleavened  bread,  when  they  sacrificed 
the  passover,  his  disciples  said  to  him,  "  Where  dost  thou  wish 
that  we  go  and  make  ready  that  thou  may  est  eat  the  passover  ? ' ' 

And  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples,  and  said  to  them,  "Go  into 
the  city,  and  there  shall  a  man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water  meet 
you  ;  follow  him  ;  and  wherever  he  shall  enter,  say  to  the  master 
of  the  house,  'The  Teacher  says.  Where  is  my  guest-chamber 
where  I  shall  eat  the  passover  with  my  disciples  ? ' 

"And  he  will  himself  show  you  a  large  upper  room  furnished 
and  ready  :  and  there  make  ready  for  us." 

And  the  disciples  went  forth,  and  came  into  the  city,  and 
found  all  as  he  had  said  to  them  :  and  they  prepared  the  passover. 

And  when  it  was  evening  he  came  with  the  twelve. 
diark  xiv.  12-17.     Revised,  using  Marginals  and  modern  forms. 

The  Young  Man  with  the  Water-pot 
On  the  afternoon  of  that  day  Mark  had  gone  to  a  public  foun- 
tain to  bring  water  for  the  Passover  season.     There  he  met  two 
men  known  to  him  as  disciples  of  Jesus,  who  said  to  him,  ''  The 


414      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Master  saitli,  Where  is  my  guest-cbamber,  where  I  shall  eat  the 
Passover  with  my  disciples?  "  Jesus  aud  his  disciples  were  ac- 
quaiuted  with  the  family  aud  had  some  previous  tentative  arrange- 
ment concerning  the  room,  but  none  of  them  had  ever  been  to  the 
house,  aud  the  meeting  at  the  fountain  was  by  appointment,  for 
Jesus  was  in  hiding  from  his  enemies.  It  was  because  there  was 
some  occasion  for  secrecy  that  the  plan  was  carried  out  in  this 
fashion,  aud  the  two  disciples  had  no  conversation  with  Mark  as 
thej^  walked  through  the  streets ;  they  merely  kept  in  sight  the 
young  mau  with  the  water-pot  on  his  shoulder,  and  they  followed 
him  until  he  entered  the  courtyard  aud  shut  the  outer  door.  Then 
he  set  down  the  water- pot,  greeted  them,  led  them  up  the  outer 
stairway  that  opened  from  the  courtyard,  aud  showed  them  an 
upper  room,  which  iu  this  case  must  have  practically  covered  the 
whole  of  the  lower  floor. 

Mark  himself  describes  it  as  "a  large  upper  room,  furnished 
aud  ready."  Brief  as  is  his  account  of  things  in  general,  his 
description  of  this  room  is  far  more  minute  than  that  of  the  other 
evangelists.  Even  those  who  copied  them  omitted  some  of  the 
details  which  he  gives.  They  meant  more  to  him  than  to  the 
others. 

The  Boy  Who  Ran  Away,  William  E.  Barton,  D.  D.,  The  Outlook,  Novem- 
ber 18,  1911,  p.  664. 

Getting  Ready  to  Eat  the  Passover  Together 

Mark  had  been  busy  during  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  and  even- 
ing preparing  for  the  family's  own  celebration  of  the  Passover. 
They  doubtless  had  guests,  for  small  families  were  accustomed  to 
iuvite  iu  enough  people  so  that  together  they  might  consume 
the  whole  of  the  Passover  lamb.  Doubtless,  also,  they  were  ac- 
customed to  having  guests  in  the  upper  room,  for  Jerusalem  was 
full  of  people  at  the  Passover  time,  and  many  of  them  had  to 
make  temporary  arrangements  for  the  observance  of  the  Passover. 

Mark  had  beeu  accustomed  to  something  of  this  sort  through 
all  the  years  of  his  boyhood  ;  but  this  was  au  unusual  occasion. 
Slight  as  was  his  acquaintance  with  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  he 
knew  enough  to  feel  a  keen  sense  of  apprehension  in  view  of  the 
plots  and  rumors  that  were  current  iu  Jerusalem  that  week.  The 
family  that  ate  the  supper  downstairs  must  have  commented  with 


THE  BASEST  CONSPIRACY  OF  ALL  415 

many  expressions  of  wonder  and  sympathy  upon  the  other  group 
that  were  eating  the  Passover  beneath  the  same  roof. 

The  Boy  Who  Ran  Away,  William  E.  Barton,  D.  D.,  The  Outlook,  Novem- 
ber 18,  1911,  p.  6<i4. 


** Where  Is  the  Gwest  Chamber?" 

"Yonder  is  a  man  bearing  a  pitcher.  Dost  see  him?  He  is 
about  to  turn  up  the  street." 

"I  see  him,"  said  Peter,  looking  earnestly  in  the  direction  in 
which  John  was  pointing.  "Let  us  follow  quickly,  lest  he  escape 
out  of  our  sight." 

So  the  two  followed  the  man,  who  presently  paused  before  the 
gateway  of  a  house,  seemingly  that  of  a  well-to-do  family.  The 
two  entered  boldly  in  after  the  pitcher-bearer,  who  turned  to  stare 
at  them  with  amazement. 

"  We  would  see  the  master  of  the  house,  "  said  Peter  authori- 
tatively. 

The  man  made  obeisance.  "Wait  here  for  a  moment,  good 
sirs,  and  I  will  fetch  him,"  he  said,  looking  curiously  at  the  two. 

Presently  he  returned,  followed  by  an  elderly  man. 

"If  thou  art  the  master  of  the  house,"  said  Peter,  fixing  his 
eyes  upon  him,  "  I  have  a  message  for  thee." 

The  man  bowed  his  head.  "Speak,"  he  replied,  "and  I  will 
listen." 

"This  is  my  message,"  continued  Peter.  "The  Master  saith 
unto  thee,  *  Where  is  the  guest  chamber,  where  I  shall  eat  the 
Passover  with  my  disciples  *? '  " 

.  .  .  "Lo,  I  have  prepared  the  chamber,  and  it  is  ready. 
Follow  me." 

They  followed  him,  and  he  showed  them  a  large  upper  room, 
furnished  with  everything  needful  for  the  feast. 

2'itus,  a  Comrade  of  the  Cross,  Florence  M.  Kingsley,  p.  72, 

The  Ceremonial  of  Slaying  the  Lamb 

Before  the  incense  was  burnt  for  the  evening  sacrifice,  or  yet 
the  lamps  in  the  golden  candlestick  were  trimmed  for  the  night, 
the  paschal  lambs  were  slain.  The  worshipers  were  admitted  in 
three  divisions  within  the  Court  of  the  Priests.     When  the  first 


416       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

company  had  entered,  the  massive  Nicanor  gates — which  led  from 
the  Court  of  the  Women  to  that  of  Israel — and  the  other  side- 
gates  into  the  Court  of  the  Priests,  were  closed.  A  threefold 
blast  from  the  priests'  trumpets  intimated  that  the  lambs  were 
being  slain.  This  each  Israelite  did  for  himself.  We  can  scarcely 
be  mistaken  in  supposing  that  Peter  and  John  would  be  in  the 
first  of  the  three  companies  into  which  the  officers  were  divided  ; 
for  they  must  have  been  anxious  to  be  goue,  and  to  meet  the 
Master  and  their  brethren  in  that  "upper  room."  Peter  and 
John  had  slain  the  lamb.  In  two  rows  the  officiating  priests 
stood,  up  to  the  great  Altar  of  Burnt-offering.  As  one  caught  up 
the  blood  from  the  dying  lamb  in  a  golden  bowl,  he  handed  it  to 
his  colleague,  receiving  in  return  an  empty  bowl ;  and  so  the 
blood  was  passed  on  to  the  great  altar,  where  it  was  jerked  in  one 
jet  at  the  base  of  the  altar.  While  this  was  going  on,  the  Ilallel 
was  being  chanted  by  the  Levites.  We  remember  that  only  the 
first  line  of  every  Psalm  was  repeated  by  the  worshipers  ;  while  to 
every  other  line  they  responded  by  a  Hallelujah,  till  Psalm  cxviii 
was  reached,  when,  besides  the  first,  these  three  lines  were  also 
repeated  : 

Save  now,  I  beseech  Thee,  Lord  ; 

O  Lord,  I  beseech  Thee,  seud  now  prosperity. 

Blessed  be  He  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

As  Peter  and  John  repeated  them  on  that  afternoon,  the  words 
must  have  sounded  most  deeply  significant.  But  their  minds 
must  have  also  reverted  to  that  triumphal  entry  into  the  city  a 
few  days  before,  when  Israel  had  greeted  with  these  words  the 
advent  of  their  King.  And  now — was  it  not  as  if  it  had  only 
beeu  au  anticipation  of  the  hymn,  when  the  blood  of  the  paschal 
lamb  was  being  shed  ? 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  487. 

Judas  May  Have  Gone  from  the  Market  to  the  Palace 

If  we  mistake  not,  [the]  purchases  had,  however,  already  been 
made  on  the  previous  afternoon  by  Judas.  It  is  not  likely  that 
they  would  have  been  left  to  the  last ;  nor  that  He  who  had  so 
lately  condemned  the  traffic  in  the  courts  of  the  Temple  would 


THE  BASEST  CONSPIRACY  OF  ALL  417 

have  seut  His  two  disciples  thither  to  purchase  the  paschal  lamb, 
which  would  have  been  necessary  to  secure  an  animal  that  had 
passed  Levitical  inspection,  since  on  the  Passover-day  there 
would  have  been  no  time  to  subject  it  to  such  scrutiny.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  Judas  had  made  this  purchase,  we  perceive  not 
only  on  what  pretext  he  may  have  gone  to  Jerusalem  on  the  pre- 
vious afternoon,  but  also  how,  on  his  way  from  the  sheep-market 
to  the  Temple,  to  have  his  lamb  inspected,  he  may  have  learned 
that  the  chief  priests  and  Sanhedrists  were  just  then  in  session  in 
the  palace  of  the  high  priest  close  by. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxoo., 
D.  D.,  Ph.D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  486. 

**That  Furtive  Mien,  That  Scowling  Eye" 

When  Judas  slank  away  from  his  brethren  on  that  fatal  even- 
ing he  would  rely  on  being  admitted  without  difficulty  within 
the  city  precincts,  and  into  the  presence  of  the  assembled  elders. 
He  applied  accordingly  to  the  '' captains"  of  the  Temple,  the 
members  of  the  Levitical  guard  who  had  the  care  of  the  sacred 
buildings,  and  they  at  once  announced  his  message  and  brought 
him  in  person  before  the  priests  and  rulers  of  the  Jews. 

Some  of  the  priests  had  already  seen  him  at  their  previous 
meeting ;  others  would  doubtless  recognise  him.  If  Judas  re- 
sembled the  conception  of  him  which  tradition  has  handed 
down  — 

"  That  furtive  mien,  that  scowling  eye, 
Of  hair  that  red  and  tufted  fell  " — 

they  could  have  hardly  failed  to  notice  the  man  of  Kerioth  as  one 
of  those  who  followed  Jesus — perhaps  to  despise  and  to  detest 
Him,  as  almost  the  only  Jew  among  the  Galilean  apostles.  And 
now  they  were  to  be  leagued  with  him  in  wickedness.  The  fact 
that  one  who  had  lived  with  Jesus,  who  had  heard  all  He  had 
said  and  seen  all  He  had  done — was  yet  ready  to  betray  Him — 
strengthened  them  in  their  purpose  ;  the  fact  that  they,  *  the 
hierarchs  and  nobles,  were  ready  not  only  to  praise,  but  even  to 
reward  Judas  for  what  he  proposed  to  do,  strengthened  Mm  in 
his  dark  and  desiderate  design.     As  in  water  face  answereth  to 


418      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

face,  so  did  the  heart  of  Judas  aud  of  the  Jews  become  assimilated 
by  the  reflection  of  mutual  sympathy.  As  iron  sharpeneth  iron, 
so  did  the  blunt  weapon  of  his  brutal  auger  give  fresh  edge  to 
their  polished  hate. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  270. 

**  Ingratitude  More  Strong  Than  Traitor's  Arms  ** 

Jesus  was  not  taken  by  suiprise,  but  knew  all  that  was  before 
him.  It  was  part  of  the  great  plan  of  redemption,  foretold  ages 
before.     .     .     . 

For  Brutus,  as  you  know,  was  Cfesar's  angel ; 

This  was  the  most  uukindest  cut  of  all ; 

For  when  the  noble  Caesar  saw  HIM  stab, 

Ingratitude,  more  strong  than  traitor's  arras. 

Quite  vanquished  him  ;  then  burst  his  mighty  heart." 

Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  for  1898,  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D., 
p.  148. 

A  Sin  against  the  Human  Heart 

But  the  crowning  profanation,  for  which  humanity  will  never 
forgive  him,  was  the  sign  by  which  he  had  agreed  to  make  his 
Master  known  to  His  enemies.  It  is  probable  that  he  came  on  in 
front,  as  if  he  did  not  belong  to  the  band  behind  ;  and,  hurrying 
towards  Jesus,  as  if  to  apprise  Him  of  His  danger  and  condole 
with  Him  on  so  sad  a  misfortune  as  His  apprehension,  he  flung 
himself  on  His  neck,  sobbing,  "Master,  Master!"  and  not  only 
did  he  kiss  Him,  but  he  did  so  repeatedly  or  fervently :  so  the 
word  signifies.  As  long  as  there  is  true,  pure  love  in  the  world, 
this  act  will  be  hated  and  despised  by  every  one  who  has  ever 
given  or  received  this  token  of  affection.  It  was  a  sin  against 
the  human  heart  and  all  its  charities.  But  none  can  feel  its 
horror  as  it  must  have  been  felt  by  Jesns. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  4. 

Yet  Not  Altogether  Bad 

Judas  was  not  altogether  bad.  The  fact  that  The  Carpenter 
.  .  .  chose  him  out  from  the  large  number  of  his  followers  to 
be  one  of  the  Twelve — the  inner  group — speaks  much.     The  fact 


THE  BASEST  CONSPIRACY  OF  ALL  419 

that  out  of  this  twelve  he  was  picked  for  the  trusted  position  of 
treasurer,  s]ieaks  still  more.  Further  still,  the  fact  that  his  own 
conscience  immediately  after  the  traitorous  deed,  accused  him 
with  an  utter  abandon  of  remorse,  speaks  most  of  all. 

In  less  than  twelve  hours  after  he  had  done  the  deed,  he  comes 
ic  himself.  Thereupon,  man-fashion,  he  seeks  to  ma,ke  amend  in 
every  way  possible — he  puts  forth  an  utter  effort  to  save  his 
Master.  He  goes  to  the  chief  priests  as  Jesus  is  about  to  be 
sentenced,  and  recants  his  recantation.  It  is  a  perilous  step  for 
him  personally.  Nevertheless  he  takes  it  and  without  flinching. 
He  stands  boldly  before  the  tyrannical  chief  magistrates  and 
pleads  the  cause  of  his  aforetime  lord.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
courageous  acts  recorded  between  the  covers  of  the  Bible.  For 
this  was  during  a  reign  of  terrorism,  when  even  the  members  of 
the  ruling  class  such  as  Nicodemus  visited  the  Galilean  by  night, 
if  they  visited  him  at  all.  Free  speech  was  not  tolerated.  A 
military  dictatorship,  under  the  control  largely  of  an  irrespon- 
sible and  venomous  hierarchy,  was  upon  the  city. 

Judas  takes  his  life  in  his  hands  when  he  thus  openly 
identifies  himself  with  the  hated  Nazarene,  and  champions  his 
cause.  But  the  recantation  avails  not.  Judas  is  laughed  at  for 
his  pains.  Thereupon  he  refuses  to  profit  by  the  proceeds  of  his 
Q3ed. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  "White,  p.  173. 

To  Undo  What  He  Had  Done 

He  was  seized  with  an  uncontrollable  desire  to  undo  what  he 
had  done.  The  money,  on  which  his  heart  had  been  set,  was 
now  like  a  spectre  to  his  excited  fancy.  Every  coin  seemed  to  be 
an  eye  through  which  eternal  justice  was  gazing  at  his  crime  or 
to  have  a  tongue  crying  out  for  vengeance.  As  the  murderer  is 
irresistibly  drawn  back  to  the  spot  where  his  victim  lies,  he  re- 
turned to  the  place  where  his  deed  of  treachery  had  been  trans- 
acted and,  confronting  those  by  whom  he  had  been  employed, 
handed  back  the  money  with  the  passionate  confession,  ''I  have 
betrayed  innocent  blood."  But  he  had  come  to  miserable  com- 
forters. With  cynical  disdain  they  asked,  ''What  is  that  to  us? 
See  thou  to  that." 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  124. 


420      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 
"I  Am  Lost— Lost!" 

"  Ghastly,  clay-white,  a  shadow  of  a  man, 
With  robes  all  soiled  and  toro,  aud  tangled  beard, 
Into  the  chamber  where  the  council  sat 
Came  feebly  staggering  :  scarce  should  I  have  known 
'Twas  Judas,  with  that  haggard,  blasted  face  : 
So  had  that  night's  great  horror  altered  him. 
As  one  all  blindly  walking  in  a  dream 
He  to  the  table  came — against  it  leaned — 
Glared  wildly  round  awhile  ;  then,  stretching  forth. 
From  his  torn  robes,  a  trembling  hand,  flung  down. 
As  if  a  snake  had  stung  him,  a  small  purse. 
That  broke  and  scattered  its  white  coins  about, 
And,  with  a  shrill  voice,  cried,  '  Take  back  the  purse ; 
'Twas  not  for  that  foul  dross  I  did  the  deed — 
'Twas  not  for  that — oh,  horror  !  not  for  that  ! 
But  that  I  did  believe  he  was  the  Lord ; 
Aud  that  he  is  the  Lord  I  still  believe. 
But  oh,  the  sin  ! — the  sin  !     I  have  betrayed 
The  innocent  blood,  and  I  am  lost  !  am  lost ! ' 
So  crying,  round  his  face  his  robes  he  threw. 
And  blindly  rushed  away." 

A  Roman  Lawyer  in  Jerusalem,  William  Wetmore  Story,  In  Defence  of 
Judas,  p.  27. 

Can  There  Be  Compassion  for  the  Betrayer  of  the  Christ  ? 

Deeper — farther  out  into  the  night !  to  its  farthest  bounds — 
where  rises  aud  falls  the  dark  flood  of  death.  The  wild  howl 
of  the  storm  has  lashed  the  dark  waters  into  fury  :  they  toss  and 
break  in  wild  billows  at  his  feet.  One  narrow  rift  in  the  cloud- 
curtain  overhead,  aud,  iu  the  pale,  deathlike  light  lies  the  Figure 
of  the  Christ,  so  calm  aud  placid,  untouched  and  unharmed,  on 
the  storm-tossed  waters,  as  it  had  been  that  night  lying  on  the 
lake  of  Galilee,  when  Judas  had  seen  Him  come  to  them  over  the 
surging  billows,  and  then  bid  them  be  peace.  Peace  !  What 
peace  to  him  now — in  earth  or  heaven  ?  It  was  the  same  Christ, 
but  thoru-crowned,  with  nail -prints  in  His  hands  and  feet.  And 
this  Judas  had  done  to  the  Master  ! 

In  the  lurid  morn  that  broke  on  the  other  shore  where  the  flood 
had  cast  him  up,  did  he  meet  those  searching,  loving  eyes  of  Jesus, 


THE  BASEST  CONSPIRACY  OF  ALL  421 

whose  gaze  he  knew  so  well — when  he  came  to  answer  for  the 
deeds  done  in  the  flesh  ? 


And — can  there  be  a  store  in  the  Eternal  Compassion  for  the 

betrayer  of  Christ  1 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A,  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p.  478. 

*  Went  to  His  Own  Place  ** 

The  world  has  agreed  to  regard  Judas  as  the  chief  of  sinners  ; 
but,  in  so  judging,  it  has  exceeded  its  prerogative.  Man  is  not 
competent  to  judge  his  brother.  The  master  passion  of  Judas 
was  a  base  one  ;  Dante  may  be  right  in  considering  treachery 
the  worst  of  crimes  ;  and  the  supreme  excellence  of  Christ  affixes 
an  unparalleled  stigma  to  the  injury  inflicted  on  Him.  But  the 
motives  of  action  are  too  hidden,  and  the  history  of  every  deed  is 
too  complicated,  to  justify  us  in  saying  who  is  the  worst  of 
men.     .     .     . 

Two  things  it  is  our  duty  to  do  in  regard  to  Judas :  flrst, 
not  so  to  palliate  his  sin  as  to  blunt  the  healthy,  natural  abhor- 
rence of  it ;  and,  secondly,  not  to  think  of  him  as  a  sinner  apart 
and  alone,  with  a  nature  so  different  from  our  own  that  to  us  he 
can  be  no  example.  But  for  the  rest,  there  is  only  one  verdict 
which  is  at  once  righteous,  dignified  and  safe  ;  and  it  is  contained 
in  the  declaration  of  St.  Peter,  that  he  ''went  to  his  own  place." 
The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D. ,  p.  128. 


XXXI 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST 

The  Holy  Supper  is  kept  indeed, 

In  whatso  we  share  with  another's  need. 

—  Lowell. 

**  1  Have  Yearned  to  Eat  This  with  You !  *' 
And  when  the  hour  was  come,  he  sat  dowu  aud  the  apostles 
with  him.  Aud  he  said  unto  them,  With 
desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this  passover 
with  you  before  I  suffer :  for  I  say  unto  you 
I  will  not  eat  it  uutil  it  be  fulfilled  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

Luke  xxii.  14-16.     Revised  Version. 

From  Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons 
for  1 901,  Rev.  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D. 

**We  Did  Not  Know  Then  What  the  Master  Meant" 

(Imagined  reminiscences  of  John  the  Evangelist) 
And  Jesus,  standing  in  front  of  the  table,  said,  ^'I  have  greatly 
desired  to  eat  this  Passover  with  you  ;  for  this  is  the  last  time  I 
shall  eat  it,  until  it  be  fulfilled  by  a  higher  Passover  in  the  new 
kingdom.  Let  us  drink  this  wine  together  for  the  last  time. 
The  wine  which  we  shall  drink  together  when  we  meet  agaiu  will 
be  the  new  wine  of  the  kingdom  of  God." 

We  did  not  know  what  this  meant ;  but  afterward,  when  we 
had  ceased  to  be  Jews,  and  had  become  citizens  of  the  new  king- 
dom of  Christ,  where  all  men  may  be  kings  and  priests  unto  God, 
we  left  behind  our  Jewish  Passover.  Then  we  understood  what 
the  Master  meant  by  his  saying,  "fulfilled."  All  that  was  good 
and  true  in  the  old  covenant  was  carried  up  into  something  better 
in  the  new  covenant.  The  bodily  rest  of  the  Jewish  sabbath  was 
fulfilled  in  the  rest  of  the  heart  at  peace  with  God.  The  grateful 
thanksgiving  of  the  Passover  for  Jewish  deliverance  was  fulfilled 

422 


THE  LAST  SUPPER-AND  THE  FIRST         423 

in  our  constant  gratitude  to  God,  wlio  had  shown  us  that  all  men 
can  be  saved  from  evil,  and  that  death  and  hell  shall  be  cast  into 
the  lake  of  fire.  We  needed  not  to  kill  innocent  lambs  by  thou- 
sands every  year  ;  for  we  had  our  one  innocent  Lamb,  Christ  our 
Passover,  a  Lamb  slain  in  the  counsel  of  God  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world. 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  376. 

His  Only  Passover  Sacrifice 
So  far  as  appears,  or  we  have  reason  to  infer,  this  Passover  was 
the  only  sacrifice  ever  offered  by  Jesus  Himself.  "We  remember 
indeed,  the  first  sacrifice  of  the  Virgin  Mother  at  her  purifi- 
cation. But  that  was  hers.  If  Christ  was  in  Jerusalem  at  any 
Passover  before  His  public  ministry  began.  He  would,  of  course, 
have  been  a  guest  at  some  table,  not  the  head  of  a  company 
(which  must  consist  of  at  least  ten  persons).  Hence,  He  would 
not  have  been  the  offerer  of  the  paschal  lamb.  And  of  the  three 
Passovers  since  His  public  ministry  had  begun,  at  the  first  His 
twelve  apostles  had  not  been  gathered,  so  that  He  could  not  have 
appeared  as  the  head  of  a  company  ;  while  at  the  second  He  was 
not  in  Jerusalem  but  in  the  utmost  parts  of  Galilee,  in  the  border- 
land of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  where,  of  course,  no  sacrifice  could  be 
brought.  Thus,  the  first,  the  last,  the  only  sacrifice  which  Jesus 
offered  was  that  in  which,  symbolically,  He  offered  Himself. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  OzoD., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  490. 

Striving  For  the  Best  Places 

And  there  arose  also  among  them  a  contention,  which  of  them  was 
accounted  to  he  the  greater. — Luke  xxii.  24. 

The  strife  probably  began  when  the  disciples  were  assembling 
in  the  upper  room  and  were  about  to  take  their  places  at  the 
table.  Even  in  this  most  solemn  hour,  more  solemn  than  they 
realized,  there  arose  a  contention  among  the  disciples  as  to  who 
should  be  the  greatest,  probably  with  reference  to  the  places  of 
honor  and  nearness  to  Jesus,  with  an  outlook  toward  the  highest 
places  in  the  new  kingdom  which  was  soon  to  begin.  Also,  be- 
cause no  one  was  willing  to  take  upon  himself  the  servile  duty  of 
washing  the  travel-soiled  feet  of  the  company. 


424       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

It  is  quite  possible  that  those  sought  the  best  places  who  had 
received  unusual  honors,  as  the  three  who  had  been  selected  for 
the  Transfiguration,  Peter,  with  the  keys,  Judas,  the  treasurer, 
James  and  John,  who  had  asked  to  be  nearest  the  king.  But, 
except  in  Judas'  case,  we  may  be  sure  that  the  best  of  motives 
were  mingled  in  very  large  proportions  with  the  unworthy  ones, 
and  that  they  wanted  to  be  near  him  whom  they  loved,  and  to  be 
useful  in  the  work  of  the  kingdom. 

Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  for  1901,  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D,,  p.  60. 

Judas  Obtained  the  Chief  Seat — above  the  Master ! 

St.  John    .     .     .     opens  his  narrative  with  this  notice  :  "And 

during  supper,   the  devil  having  already  cast  it  into  his  heart, 

that  Judas  Iscariot,  the  son  of  Simon,  shall  betray  Him."     For, 

although  the  w  ords  form  a  general  introduction  to  what  follows, 

and  refer  to  the  entrance  of  Satan  into  the  heart  of  Judas  on 

the  previous  afternoon,  when  he  sold  his  Master  to  the  San- 

hedrists,  they  are  not  without  special  significance  as  placed  in 

connection  with  the  Supper.     But  we  are  not  left  to  general 

conjecture  in  regard  to   the  influence  of  Judas  in  this  strife. 

There  is,  we  believe,  ample  evidence  that  he  not  only  claimed, 

but  actually  obtained,  the  chief  seat  at  the  table  next  to  the  Lord. 

This    .     .     .     was  not,  as  is  generally  believed,  at  the  right,  but 

at  the  left  of  Christ,  not  below,  but  above  Him,  on  the  couches  or 

pillows  on  which  they  reclined. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  493. 

A  Picture  of  Their  Arrangement  at  Table 
From  the  Gospel  narratives  we  infer,  that  St.  John  must  have 
reclined  next  to  Jesus,  on  His  right  hand,  since  otherwise  he 
could  not  have  leaned  back  on  His  bosom.  This,  as  we  shall 
presently  show,  would  be  at  one  end — the  head  of  the  table,  or, 
to  be  more  precise,  at  one  end  of  the  couches.  For,  dismissing  all 
conventional  ideas,  we  must  think  of  it  as  a  low  Eastern  table. 

In  the  Talmud,  the  table  of  the  disciples  of  the  sages  is  de- 
scribed as  two  parts  covered  with  a  cloth,  the  other  third  being 
left  bare  for  the  dishes  to  stand  on.  There  is  evidence  that  this 
part  of  the  table  was  outside  the  circle  of  those  who  were  ranged 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST         425 

around  it.  Occasionally  a  ring  was  fixed  in  it,  by  which  the 
table  was  suspended  above  the  ground,  so  as  to  preserve  it  from 
any  possible  Levitical  defilement. 

During  the  paschal  supper,  it  was  the  custom  to  remove  the 
table  at  one  part  of  the  service ;  or,  if  this  be  deemed  a  later 
arrangement,  the  dishes  at  least  would  be  taken  off  aud  put  on 
again.  This  would  render  it  necessary  that  the  end  of  the  table 
should  protrude  beyond  the  line  of  guests  who  reclined  around  it. 
For,  as  already  repeatedly  stated,  it  was  the  custom  to  recline  at 
table,  .  .  .  each  guest  occupyiug  a  separate  divan  or  pillow. 
It  would,  therefore,  have  been  impossible  to  place  or  remove 
anything  from  the  table  from  behind  the  guests. 

Hence,  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  the  free  end  of  the  table,  which 
was  not  covered  with  a  cloth,  would  protrude  beyond  the  line 
of  those  who  reclined  around  it.  We  can  now  form  a  picture  of 
the  arrangement.  Around  a  low  Eastern  table,  oval  or  rather 
elongated,  two  parts  covered  with  a  cloth,  and  standing  or  else 
suspended,  the  single  divans  or  pillows  are  ranged  in  the  form  of 
an  elongated  horseshoe,  leaving  free  one  end  of  the  table,  some- 
what as  in  the  accompanying  [diagram].  Here  A  represents  the 
table,  B  B  respectively  the  ends  of  the  two  rows 


r7=^^?=^ 


of  single  divans  on  which  each  guest  reclines  on 

his  left  side,  with  his  head  (C)  nearest  the  table, 

and  his  feet  (D)  stretching  back  towards  the 

ground. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah.  Alfred  Eder- 
sheim,  M.  A.  Oxon.,  D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  493. 


Diagram  from   The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred 
Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon.,  D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  494. 

An  IllostiratecJ  Lesson  in  Httmility 

[Jesus]  rose  from  supper  and  laid  aside  his  garments ;  and  he 
took  a  towel  and  girded  himself. 

Then  he  poured  water  into  the  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the 
disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  with  which  he 
was  girded. 

So  he  came  to  Simon  Peter.  He  said  to  him,  ''  Lord,  dost  tJiou 
wash  my  feet  %  " 


426       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Jesus  answered  and  said  to  him,  "  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not 
now  ;  but  thou  shalt  understand  hereafter." 

Peter  said  to  him,  "Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet." 

Jesus  answered  him,  "If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part 
with  me. " 

Simon  Peter  said  to  him,  "Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but  also  my 
hands  and  my  head." 

Jesus  said  to  him,  "He  that  is  bathed  needs  not  to  wash, 
but  is  clean  every  whit :  and  you  are  cleau,  but  not  all." 

For  he  knew  him  that  should  betray  him  ;  therefore  said  he, 
"  You  are  not  all  clean." 

So  when  he  had  washed  their  feet  and  taken  his  garments,  and 
reclined  again,  he  said  to  them,  "Do  you  know  what  I  have  done 
to  you"?  You  call  me  Teacher  and  Lord  :  and  you  say  well,  for 
so  I  am.  If  I  then,  the  Lord  and  the  Teacher,  have  washed  your 
feet,  you  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given 
you  an  example,  that  you  also  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you. 

"  Truly  indeed,   I  say  to  you,  a  slave  is  not  greater  than  his 
lord  ;  neither  an  apostle  greater  than  he  that  sent  him.     If  you 
know  these  thiugs,  blessed  are  you  if  you  do  them." 
John  xiii.  4-17.     Eendered  into  modern  speech. 

And  he  said  to  them. 

The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  have  lordship  over  them  ;  and  they 
that  have  authority  over  them  are  called  Benefactors. 

But  you  shall  not  be  so  :  but  he  that  is  the  greater  among  you, 
let  him  become  as  the  younger  ;  and  he  that  is  chief,  as  he  that 
doth  serve.  For  which  is  greater,  he  that  reclines  at  meat,  or  he 
that  serves.  But  you  are  they  that  have  continued  with  me  in 
my  temptations  ;  I  appoint  to  you,  even  as  my  father  appointed 
to  me,  a  kingdom,  that  you  may  eat  and  drink  at  my  table  iu  my 
kingdom  ;  and  you  shall  sit  on  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel. 

Luke  xxii.   25-30.     American   Revision,    using    Marginals  and  other  au- 
thorities. 

**  He  That  Is  Greatest,  Let  Him  Be  the  Servant !  ** 
From  these  words,     .     .     .     which  Christ  spake  to  Peter  :  "If 
I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  iu  me,"  it  is  not  to  be  under- 
stood that  Christ,  at  the  same  time,  baptized  his  disciples  ;  for  in 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST         427 

Jolin  iv,  it  is  clearly  expressed  that  he  himself  baptized  none,  but 
that  his  disciples,  at  his  command,  baptized  each  other.  Neither 
did  the  Lord  speak  these  words  only  of  water  washing,  but  of  spir- 
itual washing,  through  which  he,  and  none  other,  washes  and 
cleanses  Peter,  the  other  disciples,  and  all  true  believers,  from 
their  sins,  and  justifies  and  saves  them  ;  as  if  he  would  say  :  I  am 
the  true  bather,  therefore  if  I  wash  thee  not,  Peter,  thou  remain- 
est  unclean,  and  dead  in  thy  sins. 

The  reason  that  Christ  washed  not  his  own,  but  his  disciples' 
feet,  whereas  the  high-priest  in  the  law  washed  not  others'  but  his 
own,  was  this  :  the  high-priest  in  the  law  was  unclean,  and  a  sin- 
ner like  other  men,  therefore  he  washed  his  own  feet,  and  offered 
not  only  for  the  sins  of  the  peoj^le,  but  also  for  his  own.  But  our 
everlasting  High  Priest  is  holy,  innocent,  unstained,  and  separate 
from  sin  ;  therefore  it  was  needless  for  him  to  wash  his  feet,  but 
he  washed  and  cleansed  us,  through  his  blood,  from  all  our  sins. 

Moreover,  by  this  his  washing  of  feet  he  would  show,  that  his 
new  kingdom  which  he  would  establish  should  be  no  temporal  and 
outward  kingdom,  where  respect  of  persons  was  to  be  held,  as  in 
Moses'  kingdom,  one  higher  and  greater  than  the  other,  but  where 
one  should  serve  another  in  humility,  as  he  says :  "He  that  is 
greatest  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant ; "  which  he  himself 
showed  by  this  example,  as  he  says,  .  .  "If  I  your  Lord 
and  Master  have  washed  your  feet,  then  ye  ought  to  wash  one 
another's  feet." 

The    Table   Talk    of   Martin   Luther,    Translated   and   edited   by   William 
Hazlitt,  Esq.,  p.  98. 

What  Was  the  Idea  of  God  in  This  ? 
"Whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  serv- 
ant." And  is  there,  in  all  the  gospel,  any  emblematic  act  more 
sublime  than  that  final  attempt,  at  the  last  sorrowful  supper,  of 
our  Lord  to  impress  upon  his  disciples  the  meaning  of  his  mis- 
sion ?  We  can  hear  the  amazed  cry  of  Peter,  "  Lord,  dost  thou 
wash  my  feet?"  and  Jesus  saying  to  him,  "What  I  do  thou 
knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter."  He,  the 
Messiah,  washing  their  feet !  Incomprehensible  !  What  was  the 
idea  of  God  conveyed  in  this  act  ? 

Modern  Government  and  Christianity,  Winston  Churchill,  Atlantic  3Ionthly, 
Vol.  CXX,  No.  1,  January,  1912,  p.  16. 


428      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

♦*One  of  You  Shall  Betray  Me!*' 

"When  Jesus  had  thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in  the  spirit,  and 

testified,  saying  :  Verily,  verily,  I  say  to  you, 

that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me. 

John  xiii.  21,     Eevised  Version,  using  Marginals  and 
ancient  authorities. 


From  Peloiibet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  for  1901 ,  p.  62. 

Anything  Seemed  Possible  Then 
"Verily,  verily,  I  say  uuto  you,  that  one  of  2/oit  shall  betray 
me  !  "  That  night  all^  even  the  best  beloved,  were  to  forsake  Him, 
but  it  was  not  that ;  that  night  even  the  boldest-hearted  was  to 
deny  Him  with  oaths,  but  it  wasnot^/iai;  nay,  but  one  of  them 
was  to  betray  Him.  Already  a  deep  unspeakable  sadness  had 
fallen  over  the  sacred  meal.  Like  the  sombre  and  threateuiug 
crimson  that  intermingles  with  the  colours  of  sunset,  a  dark  omen 
seemed  to  be  overshadowing  them — a  shapeless  presentiment  of 
evil — an  unspoken  sense  of  dread.  If  all  their  hopes  were  to  be 
thus  blighted — if  at  this  very  Passover,  He  for  whom  they  had 
given  up  all,  and  who  had  been  to  them  all  in  all,  was  indeed  to 
be  betrayed  by  one  of  themselves  to  an  uupitied  and  ignominious 
end — if  this  were  possible,  anything  seemed  possible.  Their  hearts 
were  troubled.  All  their  want  of  nobility,  all  their  failure  in 
love,  all  the  depth  of  their  selfishness,  all  the  weakness  of  their 
faith  — 

"  Every  evil  thought  they  ever  thought, 
And  every  evil  word  they  ever  said, 
And  every  evil  thing  they  ever  did," 

all  crowded  upon  their  memories,  and  made  their  consciousness 
afraid.  None  of  them  seemed  safe  from  anything,  and  each  read 
his  own  self-distrust  in  his  brother  disciple's  eye. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  E.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  285. 

"Is  It  I,  Rabbi ?*' 
And  they  were  exceeding  sorrowful,  and  every  one  began  to  say 
to  him,  Is  it  I,  Lord  ? 


THE  LAST  SUPPEH— AND  THE  FIRST         429 

And  lie  answered  and  said,  He  that  dipped  his  hand  with  ine  in 
the  dish,  the  same  shall  betray  me. 

The  Sou  of  man  is  going,  even  as  it  is  written  of  him  :  but  woe 
to  that  man  through  whom  the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed  !  It  would 
have  been  good  for  that  man  if  he  had  not  been  born. 

And  Judas,  who  betrayed  him,  answered  and  said,  Is  it  I, 
Eabbi  ? 

He  said  to  him, 

Thou  hast  said  ! 
3Iatthew  xxvi.  22-25.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc, 

Judas  Went  o«t 

There  was  at  the  table  reclining  in  Jesus'  bosom  one  of  his  dis- 
ciples, whom  Jesus  loved.  Simon  Peter  therefore  beckoned  to 
him  and  said  to  him,  "  Tell  us  who  it  is  that  he  is  talking  about." 

Leaning  back,  as  he  was  on  Jesus'  breast,  he  said  to  him,  "Lord, 
who  is  it?" 

Jesus  therefore  answered,  "It  is  he  for  whom  I  shall  dip  the 
sop,  and  give  it  to  him." 

So  when  he  had  dipped  the  sop  he  took  and  gave  it  to  Judas, 
the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot. 

And  after  the  sop  then  Satan  entered  into  him. 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  him,  "What  thou  doest,  do  quickly." 

Now  no  one  at  the  table  knew  for  what  intent  he  spoke  this  to 
him.  For  some  thought  because  Judas  had  the  box,  that  Jesus 
said  to  him,  "Buy  what  things  we  have  need  of  for  the  feast;  " 
or,  that  he  should  give  something  to  the  poor. 

Then  he,  having  received  the  sop,  went  out  immediately  ;  and 
it  was  night. 

John  xiii.  23-30.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  ancient  authorities,  etc. 

"And  It  Was  Night*' 

After  all  the  rest  had  sunk  into  silence,  there  grated  upon  the 
Saviour's  ear  that  hoarse  untimely  whisper,  in  all  the  bitterness 
of  its  defiant  mockery — not  asking,  as  the  rest  had  asked,  in  lov- 
ing reverence, " i>or(?,  is  it  I'?"  but  with  the  cold  formal  title, 
"  Ea&M,  is  it  I  ?  " 

Then  that  low  unreproachful  answer,  "Thou  hast  said,"  sealed 
his  guilt.     The  rest  did  not  hear  it ;  it  was  probably  caught  by 


430      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Peter  and  Jobu  alone ;  and  Judas  ate  the  sop  which  Jesus  had 
given  him,  and  after  the  sop  Satan  entered  into  him. 

As  all  the  winds,  on  some  night  of  storm,  riot  and  howl  through 
the  rent  walls  of  some  desecrated  shrine,  so  through  the  ruined 
life  of  Judas  envy  and  avarice,  and  hatred  and  ingratitude  were 
rushing  all  at  once.  In  that  bewildering  chaos  of  a  soul  spotted 
with  mortal  guilt,  the  Satanic  had  triumphed  over  the  human  ;  in 
that  dark  heart  earth  and  hell  were  thenceforth  at  one ;  in  that 
lost  soul  sin  had  conceived  and  brought  forth  death. 

"What  thou  art  doing,  do  more  quickly,"  said  Jesus  to  him 
aloud.  He  knew  what  the  words  implied,  he  knew  that  they 
meant,  "  Thy  fell  purpose  is  matured,  carry  it  out  with  no  more 
of  these  futile  hypocrisies  and  meaningless  delays." 

Judas  rose  from  the  feast.  The  innocent-hearted  apostles 
thought  that  Jesus  had  bidden  him  go  out  and  make  purchases 
for  to-morrow's  Passover,  or  give  something  out  of  the  common 
store  which  should  enable  the  poor  to  buy  their  paschal  lamb. 

And  so  from  the  lighted  room,  from  the  holy  banquet,  from 
the  blessed  company,  from  the  presence  of  his  Lord,  he  went 
immediately  out,  and — as  the  beloved  disciple  adds,  with  a  shud- 
der of  dread  significance  letting  the  curtain  of  darkness  fall  for 
ever  on  that  appalling  figure — ^^and  it  tons  nighV^ 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  K.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  288. 

Relieved  of  Some  Ghastly  Incubtjs 
No  sooner  had  Judas  left  the  room,  than,  as  though  they  had 
been  relieved  of  some  ghastly  incubus,  the  spirits  of  the  little 
company  revived.  The  presence  of  that  haunted  soul  lay  with  a 
weight  of  horror  on  the  heart  of  his  Master,  and  no  sooner  had 
he  departed  than  the  sadness  of  the  feast  seems  to  have  been 
sensibly  relieved. 

The  solemn  exultation  which  dilated  the  soul  of  their  Lord — 
that  joy  like  the  sense  of  a  boundless  sunlight  behind  the  earth- 
born  mists — communicated  itself  to  the  spirits  of  His  followers. 
The  dull  clouds  caught  the  sunset  colouring.  In  sweet  and  tender 
communion,  perhaps  two  hours  glided  away  at  that  quiet  banquet. 
Now  it  was  that,  conscious  of  the.  impending  separation,  and 
fixed  unalterably  in  His  sublime  resolve,  He  opened  His  heart  to 
the  little  band  of  those  who  loved  Him,  and  spoke  among  them 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST         431 

those  farewell  discourses  preserved  for  us  by  St.  John  alone,  so 
"rarely  mixed  of  sadness  and  joys,  and  studded  with  mysteries 
as  with  emeralds."  ''Now,"  He  said,  as  though  with  a  sigh  of 
relief,  "uow  is  the  Son  of  Man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified  in 
Him." 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol,  II,  p.  293. 

The  Last  Swpper  Is  Made  the  First 

And  as  they  were  eating,  he  took  a  loaf,  and  when  he  had 
blessed  he  broke  it,  and  gave  it  to  them  and  said,  Take,  this  is 
my  body. 

And  he  took  a  cup,  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he  gave  to 
them  :  and  they  all  drank  of  it. 

And  he  said  to  them,  This  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testament, 
which  is  poured  out  for  many. 

Verily  I  say  to  you,  I  shall  no  more  drink  of  the  fruit  of  the 

vine,  until  that  day  when  I  drink  it  new  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Mark  xiv.  22-25.    Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  and  ancient  authorities. 

Another  Wine,  Another  Feast 

So  speaking,  the  Lord  commenced  that  Supper,  which  in  itself 
was  symbol  and  pledge  of  what  He  had  just  said  and  promised. 
The  paschal  supper  began,  as  always,  by  the  head  of  the  company 
taking  the  first  cup,  and  speaking  over  it  "the  thauksgiving." 
The  form  presently  in  use  consists  really  of  two  benedictioDS — 
the  first  over  the  wine,  the  second  for  the  return  of  this  feast  day 
with  all  that  it  implies,  and  for  being  preserved  once  more  to 
witness  it. 

Turning  to  the  Gospels,  the  words  which  follow  the  record  of 
the  benediction  on  the  part  of  Christ  seem  to  imply  that  Jesus 
had,  at  any  rate,  so  far  made  use  of  the  ordinary  thauksgiviug 
as  to  speak  both  these  benedictions.  .  .  This  we  infer  from 
what  the  Lord  added,  as  He  passed  the  cup  round  the  circle  of 
the  disciples.  No  more,  so  He  told  them,  would  He  speak  the 
benediction  over  the  fruit  of  the  vine — not  again  utter  the  thanks 
"over  the  day,"  that  they  had  been  "preserved  alive,  sustained, 
and  brought  to  this  season." 

Another  wine,  and  at  another  feast,  now  awaited  Him — that  in 
the  future,  when  the  Kingdom  would  come.     It  was  to  be  the  last 


432       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

of  the  old  [Passovers]  ;  the  first,  or  rather  the  symbol  aud  promise, 

of  the  new.     And  so,  for  the  first  and  last  time,  did  He  speak  the 

twofold  benediction  at  the  beginning  of  the  Supper. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  496. 

Pawl's  Accownt  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
For  I  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also  I  delivered  to  you, 
how  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  night  in  which  he  was  betrayed  took 
bread  ;  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he  broke  it,  and  said, 
"This  is  my  body,  which  is  for  you:  do  this  in  remembrance 
of  me. " 

In  like  manner  also  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying,  "  This  cup  is 
the  new  covenant  in  my  blood  :  do  this  as  often  as  you  drink  it, 
in  remembrance  of  me." 

For  as  often  as  you  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  the  cup,  you  pro- 
claim the  Lord's  death  until  he  comes. 

1  Corinthians  xi.  23-26.     Revised  Version,  modernised. 

What  Did  Jesws  See  ? 

The  evening  was  passing ;  all  too  rapidly,  all  too  heavily. 
Across  the  countenance  of  Jesus  advanced  an  immeasurable 
shadow.  He  took  up  the  Passover  loaf  and  broke  it,  with  a 
solemnity  so  significant  that  every  eye  in  the  room  now  fastened 
itself  upon  him.  His  low  voice  faltered  a  little  in  the  Passover 
blessing,  and  when  he  said  : 

"This  is  my  body, — broken,  and  for  you.     Eat." 

He  poured  the  wine  into  the  paschal  cups.  It  ran  a  deep  red 
in  the  light  of  the  festal  lamps. 

"This  is  my  blood,"  he  added  ;  "drink." 

In  a  silence  like  that  of  the  after  world,  the  group  obeyed  him. 

With  bowed  heads,  with  streaming  cheeks,  with  shrinking  lips, 
they  ate,  they  drank ;  wondering,  but  asking  him  no  question 
now. 

The  cup  trembled  a  little  in  his  hands  as  he  pressed  it  to  the 
lips  of  John.  In  his  eyes  rested  the  solitary  look  of  far  prevision 
which  his  friends  had  learned  to  know. 

What  did  he  see  1  Cruciform  oak,  nails,  the  point  of  a  spear, 
then  the  gush  which  comes  from  the  heart  ? 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST         433 

But  what  did  he  see  1  Far  down  the  years  quiet  grouj^s  iu  holy 
houses,  sitting  with  bowed  heads.  .  .  .  With  wet  eyes,  with 
hushed  hearts,  those  who  celebrate  this  solemnity  do  think  of 
him:  they  murmur  a  name, — it  is  his;  they  melt  with  tenderness 
for  suffering,  — it  is  his. 

The  feeling  that  his  own  race,  his  own  day  denied  him,  the 
future  gives  him.  Millions  offer  what  the  few  refused.  The  true 
heart  of  the  world  will  not  foreclose  its  sympathy  from  this  man 
acquainted  with  grief. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  346. 

Sifting  the  Disciples 

[And  the  Lord  said]  "Simon,  Simon, — see! — Satan  demanded 
to  have  you  [disciples]  for  the  sifting,  as  wheat ;  but  I  pleaded 
for  thee  that  thy  faith  may  not  fail ;  and  when  thou  hast  turned 
back,  confirm  thy  brethren." 

Luke  xxii.  31,  32.     A  literal  rendering. 

"Yet  a  Little  While'' 

Jesus  said,  "  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified 
in  him ;  and  God  shall  glorify  him  in  himself,  and  straightway 
shall  he  glorify  him. 

"Little  children,  yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  You  shall 
seek  me  :  and  as  I  said  to  the  Jews,  Where  I  am  going,  you  cannot 
go  ;  so  now  I  say  to  you. 

"A  new  commandment  I  give  to  you,  that  you  shall  love  one 
another  ;  even  as  I  loved  you,  that  you  may  also  love  one  another. 
By  this  all  men  shall  know  that  you  are  my  disciples,  if  you  have 
love  for  one  another. ' ' 

Simon  Peter  said  to  him,  "  Lord,  where  art  thou  going "? " 

Jesus  answered,  "  Where  I  am  going  thou  canst  not  follow  me 
now  ;  but  thou  shalt  follow  afterwards." 

Peter  said  to  him,  "Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  thee  even  now? 
I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  thee !  " 

Jesus  answered,  ' '  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  me  *?  Truly 
indeed,  I  say  to  thee,  the  cock  shall  not  crow,  till  thou  hast  denied 
me  three  times  !  ' ' 

John  xiii.  31-38.     Revised  "Version,  modernised. 


434      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Peter  "Was  Sorely  Distressed 

Peter  was  sorely  distressed  at  such  words.  Conscious  of  his 
honest  love  and  fidelity,  it  seemed  as  if  Jesus  doubted  both.  His 
warm  Galilean  heart  was  full.  He  felt  as  if  his  Master  spoke  of 
his  acting  in  a  way  of  which  he  could  not  believe  himself  capable. 
"Lord,"  said  he,  "I  care  not  what  happens  to  Thee.  I  am 
ready  to  go  with  Thee  to  prison,  or  to  die  with  Thee,  but  I  will 
never  leave  Thee,  nor  be  untrue  to  Thee. " 

"Do  you  think  so,  Peter?"  replied  Jesus,  with  a  voice 
full  of  tenderness — "I  tell  you  that  this  very  night,  before  the 
cock  crows  the  second  time,  you  will  thrice  deny  that  you 
know  me." 

"If  I  were  to  die  for  it,"  answered  the  apostle,  "no  one  will 
ever  hear  me  deny  Thee." 

"  I  can  say  the  same,"  added  all  the  other  apostles. 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuiugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  444. 

**  Look !  Here  Are  Two  Swords  ** 

And  he  said  to  them,  "When  I  sent  you  out  without  purse 
and  wallet  and  shoes,  did  you  need  anything!  " 

And  they  said,  "  Nothing." 

And  he  said  to  them,  ' '  But  now,  he  that  has  a  purse,  let  him 
take  it,  and  likewise  a  wallet :  and  he  that  has  no  sword,  let  him 
sell  his  cloak  and  buy  one. 

"  For  I  say  to  you,  that  this  which  is  written  must  be  fulfilled 
in  me,  *  And  he  was  reckoned  with  transgressors ' :  for  that 
which  concerns  me  has  fulfilment." 

And  they  said,  "  Lord,  look  !     Here  are  two  swords." 

And  he  said  to  them,  "It  is  enough." 
Luke  xxii.  35-38.     Revised  Version,  moderuised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

How  He  Happened  to  Have  the  Sword 

These  Galileans,  after  the  custom  of  their  countrymen,  had  pro- 
vided themselves  with  short  swords,  which  they  concealed  under 
their  upper  garment.  It  was  natural  for  men  of  their  disposition, 
so  imperfectly  understanding  their  Master's  teaching,  to  have 
taken  what  might  seem  to  them  only  a  needful  precaution  in 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST         435 

coining  to  Jerusalem.     At  least  two  of  them — anioDg  them  Peter 

— now  produced  swords.     But  this  was  not  the  time  to  reason 

with  them,  and  our  Lord  simply  put  it  aside.     Events  would  only 

too  soon  teach  them. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D,,  Pb.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  537. 


Beautiful  Words  Broke  the  Sacred  Stillness 

With  wide,  grand  eyes  gazing  out  through  the  windows  of  the 
upper  chamber  of  the  stoue  house,  he  saw  these  things  and 
spoke  not  of  them.  Sacrament  was  in  his  silence.  He  broke 
it  by  some  of  the  most  beautiful  words  that  ever  came  from 
his  lips.  He  began,  in  a  voice  hardly  above  a  whisper,  to 
offer  to  his  friends  his  last  directions,  to  extend  his  parting  bene- 
dictions. 

The  Passover  lights  burned  low,  and  seemed  almost  afraid  to 
reveal  his  face,  which  melted  into  dimness,  which  struggled  into 
form,  and  wore  a  wonderful  expression.  Sobbing  was  heard 
about  the  paschal  table.  Some  hid  their  faces  in  their  hands,  but 
John  wept  upon  the  arm  of  his  Lord.  Peter  had  not  moved  from 
the  floor  where  he  lay  at  Jesus'  feet. 

"Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled.  Ye  believe  in  God.  .  .  . 
Believe  in  me." 

The  Story  of  Jems  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  347. 

**  Let  Not  Your  Hearts  Be  Troubled  "  in  the  Language  of 

Wydiffe 

.  Millions  of  loyal  and  heroic  people,  many  of  whom  "wan- 
dered about  in  sheepskins  and  goatskins,  being  destitute,  afflicted, 
tormented,"  have  found  hope  and  joy  in  reading  in  their  own 
tongue  wherein  tbey  were  born,  the  comforting  words  of  the 
Master,  before  His  going  away,  as  found  in  the  fourteenth  chap- 
ter of  John.  Here  are  several  extracts  from  that  familiar  chapter 
of  comfort  and  cheer,  given  in  the  quaint  and  rugged  language  of 
Wycliffe's  second  translation  : 

Be  not  Soure  herte  afraied,  ne  drede  it ;  3e  bileuen  in  God,  and 
bileue  se  in  me.     In  the  hous  of  my  fadir  ben  many  dwellyngis  } 


436      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

if  an  J  thing  lesse,  T  hadde  seid  to  Sou,  for  Y  go  to  make  redi  to 
^^ou  a  place.  And  if  Y  go,  and  make  redi  to  sou  a  place,  eftsoones 

Y  come,  and  Y  schal  take  Sou  to  my  silf,  that  where  Y  am,  3e  be. 
And  whidur  Y  go,  Se  witeu,  and  Se  witen  the  weie.  .  .  . 
Treuli,  treuli,  Y  seie  to  Sou,  if  a  man  bileueth  in  me,  also  he 
schal  do  the  werks  that  Y  do  ;  and  he  schal  do  grettere  werkis 
than  these,  for  Y  go  to  the  fadir.  .  .  .  Y  schal  not  leeue  Sou 
fadirles,  Y  schal  come  to  3ou.  Sit  a  litil,  and  the  world  seeth  not 
now  me  ;  but  Se  schulen  se  me,  for  Y  lyue,  and  Se  schulen  lyue. 
.  .  .  These  thingis  Y  haue  spokun  to  Sou,  dwellyuge  among 
Sou  ;  but  thilke  Hooli  Goost,  the  coumfortour,  whom  the  fadir 
schal  sende  in  my  name,  he  schal  teche  Sou  alle  thingis,  what 
euere  thiugis  Y  schal  seie  to  Sou.     Pees  Y  leeue  to  Sou,  my  pees 

Y  Sine  to  Sou ;  not  as  the  world  Syueth,  Y  sieu  to  Sou,  be  not 
Soure  herte  affrayed,  ne  drede  it. 

The  Wonder-Story  of  the  English  Bible,  Wayne  Whipple,  from  the  mannscripfe. 

**1  Am  Going  Back  to  the  Father  ** 

"I  have  spoken  these  things  to  you  in  parables ;  but  the  hour 
is  coming  when  I  will  speak  to  you  no  longer  in  allegories,  but  I 
will  announce  to  you  plainly  concerning  the  Father. 

"  In  that  day  you  shall  ask  in  my  name  ;  and  I  do  not  say  to 
you  that  I  will  beseech  the  Father  for  you,  for  the  Father  himself 
loves  you,  because  you  have  loved  me,  and  have  believed  that  I 
came  out  from  God.  I  came  out  from  the  Father  and  have  come 
into  the  world  ;  I  am  leaving  the  world  and  am  going  back  to  the 
Father." 

His  disciples  say  to  him,  "Lo,  now  thou  art  speaking  plainly, 
and  art  not  speaking  in  a  jiarable.  Now  we  know  that  thou  dost 
know  everything,  and  hast  no  need  that  any  man  should  ask  thee. 
By  this  we  believe  that  thou  didst  come  forth  from  God." 

Jesus  answered  them,  "Now  do  you  believe?  See,  the  hour  is 
coming,  and  has  come  now,  that  you  shall  be  scattered,  each  to 
his  own,  and  you  will  leave  me  alone  ;  and  yet  I  am  not  alone 
for  the  Father  is  with  me. 

"These  things  I  have  told  you  that  you  may  have  peace  in  me. 
In  the  world  you  have  trouble  ;  but  be  of  good  courage,  I  have 
overcome  the  world." 

John  xvi.  25-33.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST         437 

The  Prayer  of  Intercession 

These  things  spake  Jesus  ;  and  liftiug  up  his  eyes  to  heaven  he 
said, 

Father,  the  hour  is  come ;  glorify  thy  Sou,  that  the  Sou  may 
glorify  thee :  even  as  thou  gavest  him  authority  over  all  flesh, 
that  whatsoever  thou  hast  giveu  him,  to  them  he  should  give 
eternal  life. 

And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  should  know  thee  the  only 
true  God,  and  him  whom  thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ. 

I  glorified  thee  on  the  earth,  having  accomplished  the  work 
which  thou  hast  given  me  to  do.  And  now,  O  Father,  glorify 
thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee 
before  the  world  was.  I  manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men 
whom  thou  gavest  me  out  of  the  world  :  thine  they  were,  and 
thou  gavest  them  to  me ;  and  they  have  kept  thy  word.  'Now 
they  know  that  all  things  whatsoever  thou  hast  given  me  are 
from  thee  :  for  the  words  which  thou  gavest  me  I  have  given 
unto  them  ;  and  they  received  them,  and  they  believed  that  thou 
didst  send  me. 

I  pray  for  them  :  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  for  those  whom 
thou  hast  given  me  ;  for  they  are  thine,  and  thine  are  mine  :  and 
I  am  glorified  in  them. 

And  I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  and  these  are  in  the  world, 
and  I  come  to  thee.  Holy  Father,  keep  them  in  thy  name  which 
thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are. 

While  I  was  with  them,  I  kept  them  in  thy  name  which  thou 
hast  given  me  :  and  I  guarded  them,  and  not  one  of  them  perished, 
but  the  son  of  perdition  ;  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled. 

But  now  I  come  to  thee ;  and  these  things  I  speak  in  the 
world,  that  they  may  have  my  joy  fulfilled  in  themselves.  I 
have  given  them  thy  word  ;  and  the  world  hated  them,  because 
they  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  I  pray 
not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them  from  the  world,  but  that  thou 
shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil  one.  They  are  not  of  the 
world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world. 

Sanctify  them  in  the  truth  :  thy  word  is  truth. 

As  thou  didst  send  me  into  the  world,  even  so  sent  I  them  into 
the  world.  And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that  they 
themselves  also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth. 


438      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  that  believe 
ou  me  through  their  word ;  that  they  may  all  be  one ;  even  as 
thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  in 
us  :  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  didst  send  me. 

And  the  glory  which  thou  hast  given  me  I  have  given  unto 
them  ;  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one  ;  I  in  them,  and 
thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  perfected  into  one  ;  that  the  world 
may  know  that  thou  didst  >:Qjid  me,  and  lovedst  them,  even  as 
thou  lovedst  me. 

Father,  that  which  thou  hast  given  me,  I  will  that,  where  I 
am,  they  also  may  be  with  me  ;  that  they  may  behold  my  glory, 
which  thou  hast  given  me  :  for  thou  lovedst  me  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world. 

O  righteous  Father,  the  world  knew  thee  not,  but  I  knew  thee ; 
and  these  knew  that  thou  didst  send  me  ;  and  I  made  known  unto 
them  thy  name,  and  will  make  it  known  ;  that  the  love  where- 
with thou  lovedst  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them. 

John  xvii,  1-26.     Revised  Version. 

The  House  of  the  Last  Swppeir 

While  Jesus  and  his  disciples  were  eating  the  Passover  in  the 
upper  room  the  family  who  owned  the  house  were  observing  the 
same  festival  in  the  living-rooms  below.  This  family  consisted 
of  a  widow,  named  Mary,  her  s;)U  John  Mark,  a  large  boy  almost 
grown  to  manhood,  and  possibly  other  and  younger  children  of 
whom  we  have  no  knowledge.  Our  interest  centers  chiefly  in  this 
boy  John  Mark.  He  was  old  enough  to  be  considered  the  man 
of  the  house,  yet  young  enou?;li  to  be  carrying  water-pots  and 
performing  other  services  such  t'.s  women  and  boys  performed  in 
making  ready  for  the  Passover.     .     .     . 

The  Passover  supper  was  ended  downstairs  and  the  guests  took 
their  departure.  Mark  gathered  all  that  was  left  of  the  Passover 
lamb — the  few  shreds  of  flesh  and  the  bones,  which  had  been  un- 
jointed  with  care  that  none  of  them  be  broken — and  burned  them 
in  the  brazier  in  the  courtyard,  and  was  still  standing  there 
watching  them  being  consumed  when  one  of  the  disciples  de- 
scended the  outer  stair  and  brought  down  the  bones  from  the 
lamb  that  had  been  eaten  upstairs  and  burned  them  in  like 
manner :  for  this  was  the  commandment  of  Moses,  that  nothing 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST         439 

of  the  Passover  lamb  should  remain  until  morning  and  that 
everything  left  should  be  consumed  by  fire ;  and  there  was  a 
verse  in  one  of  the  Psalms  which  had  assumed  the  character  of  a 
divine  command  among  them,  "'He  keepeth  all  his  bones ;  not 
one  of  them  is  broken. ' ' 

Mark  returned  inside  and  went  to  bed.  His  mother  had  al- 
ready retired,  and  he  lay  down  for  what  was  left  of  the  night, 
but  he  could  not  get  to  sleep.  He  still  heard  conversation  up- 
stairs. Jesus  was  talking  to  his  disciples,  and  now  and  then  they 
interrupted  him  with  questions.  Mark  could  not  distinguish  the 
eager  word  of  Philip,  "  Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  and  it  suf&ceth 
us,"  nor  that  of  Thomas,  "Lord,  we  know  not  whither  thou 
goest ;  and  how  can  we  know  the  way  1"  But  he  knew  when 
one  of  the  disciples  was  asking  a  question  and  when  Jesus  spoke 
in  answer. 

Shortly  after  midnight  Jesus  and  his  disciples  descended  the 

outer  stair  and  passed  into  the  courtyard.     Mark  wondered  where 

they  were  going  and  what  was  about  to  happen.     Jerusalem  had 

been  so  full  of  inquiry  and  conjecture  and  vague  rumor,  the  boy 

could  not  help  feeling  apprehensive. 

The  Boy  Who  Ban  Away,  William  E.  Barton,  D.  D.,  The  Outlook,  November, 
1911,  p.  664. 

Jesus  Joining  in  the  Hymn 
And  ivhen  they  had  sung  a  hymn  they  went  out  unto  the  mount  of 
Olives. — Matthew  xxvi.  30. 

In  the  certain  ears  of  peril,  in  the  grip  of  inevitable  death, 
triumphantly  and  joyously,  the  sweet,  deep  voice  of  Jesus  rang 
out : 

"  O,  give  thanks  uuto  the  Lord  ! 
For  He  is  good  ! ' ' 

The  shapes  of  shame  and  torture  flitted  into  the  stone  room. 
Images  which  froze  the  blood  at  his  heart  huddled  between  him 
and  the  Passover  lamps.     But  he  sang  on  strongly  : 

"  Oh,  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord  God  of  Heaven, 
For  His  mercy  endureth  forever  !  " 

The  singing  penetrated  into  the  open  air ;  the  notes  of  his 
pathetic  voice  dropped  into  the  street.     Few  men  had  heard 


440      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Jesus  sing,  and  the  beauty  of  his  tone  attracted  attention.  Twos 
and  threes  stopped  to  listen.  Many  foreigners,  not  occupied  with 
the  paschal  ceremony,  were  strolling  about  the  city.  Groups 
collected  at  no  great  distance  from  the  stone  house. 

A  skulking  figure,  stealing  down  the  street,  waved  a  Eoman 
guardsman  back,  and  listened  with  the  others.  Judas  Iscariot 
drew  himself  into  the  shadow  of  an  alley  and  watched.  It  was 
but  a  few  moments  after  this  that  the  paschal  party  left  the  upper 
chamber  and  came  out  into  the  street. 

When  the  singing  had  ceased,  the  groups  of  listeners  scattered. 
Jesus  and  the  eleven  passed  apparently  unnoticed,  and  set  their 
faces  eastward.  Having  avoided  the  Temple  area,  the  party 
turned  northward  up  the  valley  of  the  Kedron. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  349. 

Excitement  among  the  Chwrch  Authorities 

While  Jesus  was  tenderly  bidding  farewell  to  His  few  followers 
in  the  upper  room,  all  was  bustle  and  excitement  among  the 
Church  authorities,  now  on  the  track  of  His  blood  by  the  help  of 
Judas. 

It  was  the  great  holiday  of  the  year  at  Jerusalem  :  the  week  in 
which,  beyond  any  other  time,  the  whole  population  gave  them- 
selves up  to  rejoicing.  The  citizens,  from  the  highest  to  the  low- 
est, were  reaping  the  great  golden  harvest  of  the  year  from  the 
myriads  of  pilgrims,  and  they,  on  their  side,  had  the  excitement  of 
numbers,  and  novelty,  and  religious  enthusiasm.  A  mere  moun- 
tain city,  Jerusalem  lived  by  the  Temple,  either  directly  or  in- 
directly, and  it  was  now  the  loadstone  that  had  drawn  the  whole 
Jewish  world  around  it. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Canningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  471. 

So  They  Came  to  Gethsemane 

So  they  came  to  Gethsemane,  which  is  about  a  mile  from  the 
citj'  walls.  It  was  a  garden  or  orchard  marked  probably  by  some 
slight  enclosure  ;  and  as  it  had  been  a  place  of  frequent  resort  for 
Jesus  and  His  followers,  we  may  assume  that  it  belonged  to  some 
friendly  owner.  The  name  Gethsemane  means  "  the  oil-press," 
and  doubtless  it  was  so  called  from  a  press  to  crush  the  olives  yielded 


THE  LAST  SUPPER— AND  THE  FIRST 


441 


by  the  countless  trees  from  which  the  hill  derives  its  designation. 
.  .  .  The  traditional  site,  venerable  and  beautiful  as  it  is  from 
the  age  and  size  of  the  grey,  gnarled  olive-trees,  of  which  one  is 
still  known  as  the  Tree  of  the  Agony,  is  perhaps  too  public — 
being,  as  it  always  must  have  beeu,  at  the  angle  formed  by  the 
two  paths  which  lead  over  the  sumuiit  and  shoulder  of  Olivet — to 
be  regarded  as  the  actual  spot.  It  was  more  probably  one  of  the 
secluded  hollows  at  no  great  distance  from  it  which  witnessed  that 
scene  of  awful  and  pathetic  mystery. 

But  although  the  exact  spot  cannot  be  determined  with  certainty, 
the  general  position  of  Gethsemane  is  clear,  and  then  as  now  the 
chequering  moonlight,  the  grey  leaves,  the  dark  brown  trunks, 
the  soft  greensward,  the  ravine  with  Olivet  towering  over  it  to  the 
eastward  and  Jerusalem  to  the  west,  must  have  been  the  main 
external  features  of  a  place  which  must  be  regarded  with  undying 
interest  while  Time  shall  be,  as  the  place  where  the  Saviour  of 
mankind  entered  alone  into  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow. 

Tlie  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  307. 


From  Pclouhct's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  for  1 90/,  p.  69. 


XXXII 

AGONY,  BETRAYAL,  AEREST 

With  lanterns  did  they  seek  the  Suu. 

— George  Herbert. 

A  Place  Named  Gethsemane 

And  they  come  to  a  place  named  Gethsemane,  and  he  says  to 
his  disciples,  "Sit  here  while  I  pray." 

And  he  takes  Peter  and  James  and  John  with  him.  And  he 
began  to  be  greatly  moved  and  deeply  depressed.  And  he  says 
to  them,  "Very  sorrowful  is  my  soul — even  unto  death  !  Stay 
here  and  watch." 

And  going  a  little  farther,  he  fell  upon  the  earth  and  prayed 
that,  if  possible,  the  hour  might  pass  from  him. 

And  he  said,  "  Abba,  Eather,  all  things  are  possible  to  thee. 
Take  away  this  cup  from  me ; — but  not  what  I  will,  but  what 
thou!'' 

And  he  comes  and  finds  them  sleeping. 

Mark  xiv.  32-37.     A  literal  reudering  from  the  Greek. 

Pre-eminently  His  Passion 

As  regards  what  is  called  pre-eminently  his  passion,  the  scene 
of  martyrdom  that  closes  his  life,  it  is  easy  to  distinguish  a  char- 
acter in  it  which  separates  it  from  all  mere  human  martyrdoms. 
Thus,  it  will  be  observed,  that  his  agony,  the  scene  in  which  his 
suffering  is  bitterest  and  most  evident,  is,  on  human  principles, 
wholly  misplaced.  It  comes  before  the  time,  when  as  yet  there 
is  no  arrest,  and  no  human  prospect  that  there  will  be  any.  He 
is  at  large,  to  go  where  he  pleases,  and  in  perfect  outward  safety. 
His  disciples  havejust  been  gathered  round  him  in  a  scene  of  more 
than  family  tenderness  and  affection. 

Indeed  it  is  but  a  very  few  hours  since  that  he  was  coming  into 
the  city,  at  the  head  of  a  vast  procession,  followed  by  loud  accla- 
mations, and  attended  by  such  honors  as  may  fitly  celebrate  the 
inaugural  of  a  king.     Yet  here,  with  no  bad  sign  apparent,  we 

442 


AGONY,  BETRAYAL,  ARREST  443 

Bee  him  plunged  into  a  sceue  of  deepest  distress,  and  racked,  in 
his  feeling,  with  more  than  mortal  agony. 
The  Character  of  Jesus,  Horace  Bushnell,  p.  30. 

Being  in  Agony  He  Prayed 

And  he  withdrew  from  them  about  a  stone's  throw,  and  falling 
on  his  knees,  he  prayed,  saying,  "Father  if  thou  art  willing  to 
take  this  cup  away  from  me — but  not  my  will  but  thine  be  done  !  " 

And  an  angel  from  heaven  appeared  strengthening  him.  And 
being  in  agony  he  prayed  the  more  earnestly.  And  his  sweat  be- 
came as  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the  ground.  And 
rising  from  prayer,  he  came  to  his  disciples  and  found  them  sleep- 
ing from  grief,  and  he  said  to  them,  "  Why  are  you  asleep  1  Get 
up  and  pray  not  to  get  into  temptation." 

Luke  xxii.  41-46.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

No  Fear  for  Himself  Caused  His  Anguish 
Leaving  his  disciples,  Jesus  goes  a  few  paces  into  the  darkness. 
There  he  falls  upon  his  face ;  he  cries  to  heaven  in  his  agony. 
Just  when  his  cause  had  commenced  to  move  so  auspiciously,  with 
the  representatives  from  the  world-wide  dispersion  rallying  to  him 
and  with  an  entering  wedge  among  the  Jewish  ruling  class  itself, 
to  be  trapped  in  the  dark  and  slain  in  this  fashion — it  broke  him 
down  !  Not  fear  for  himself  caused  the  agony  of  that  Gethsemane 
moment.  He  had  been  born  and  bred  to  a  life  of  hardness. 
Nerve  flabbiuess  was  not  in  his  make-up.  No  bodily  shrinking, 
nor  the  disgrace  of  a  felon's  death,  could  have  wrung  from  him 
swfeat,  "as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the 
ground."  His  fear  was  for  the  stability  of  his  disciples.  One  of 
them  had  already  gone  over  to  the  enemy.  Would  it  not  be  thus 
with  them  alH 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  176. 

"Not  Able  to  Watch  One  Hour  ?  " 

And  he  says  to  Peter,  "Simon,  art  thou  asleep ?    Wast  thou 

not  able  to  watch  one  hour?    Wat.^h  and  pray  that  you  do  not  go 

into  temptation.     Indeed  the  spirit  is  willing  but  the  flesh  is 

weak." 

And  having  gone  away  again  he  prayed,  saying  the  same  thing, 


Ui      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

and  when  he  returned  lie  found  them  asleep  again,  for  their  eyes 

were  heavy  and  they  did  not  know  what  to  answer. 

And  he  comes  the  third  time,  and  says  to  them,  "Sleep on  now 

and  take  your  rest.     It  is  enough.     The  hour 

has  come.     Lo,  the  Son  of  man  is  delivered 

into  the  hands  of  sinners.     Get  up,  let  us  go. 

See  !  he  who  is  delivering  me  up  has  come." 

3Iark    xiv.   37-42.     A  literal  rendering  from  the 
Greek. 

From  Peloubet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  for  i  poi  .p.  73. 

Returning  the  Third  Time 
Jesus  had  just  returned  from  His  third  prayer,  and  was  rousing 
His  disciples  ;  when  He  heard  the  noise  of  the  soldiers  and  the 
crowd,  and  saw  their  lights  approaching.  The  disappointment, 
even  in  His  most  trusted  friends,  asleep  when  they  should  have 
watched,  and  leaving  it  to  Himself  to  discover  Judas  and  his 
band,  wounded  His  heart.  With  keen  but  gentle  irony,  therefore, 
He  told  them  that  they  might  sleep  on  now  and  take  their  rest, 
if  they  chose  ;  their  watching  was  no  longer  needed.  His  hour 
had  come.  Then,  speaking  in  a  serious  strain.  He  bade  them 
"rise  and  go  out  with  Him,  for  the  traitor  was  at  hand." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol,  II,  p.  480. 

The  Loftiest  Courage 

Men  saw  Jesus  stand  on  the  hill  at  Nazareth  among  a  crowd  of 
hooting  enemies.  They  saw  Him  stand  calmly  in  the  boat  on  the 
stormy  midnight  lake  and  never  tremble.  They  saw  Him  face 
the  gibbering  maniac  among  the  tombs.  They  saw  Him  set  His 
face  toward  Jerusalem  and  go  up  thither  quietly,  knowing  that 
there  He  would  be  crucified.  They  said  to  one  another,  "See 
how  brave  He  is.  He  does  not  know  anything  like  fear.  Behold, 
what  manliness ! "  And  then,  full  of  this  enthusiasm,  some  of 
them  witnessed  Gethsemane.  They  heard  Him  pray  to  be  re- 
leased from  the  approaching  pain.  They  watched  Him  in  the 
days  before  Gethsemane,  as  the  horror  of  the  coming  death 
gathered  around  Him. 

"  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour,"  they  heard  Him  cry.     It  is 


AGONY,  BETRAYAL,  ARREST  445 

impossible  not  to  believe  that  tlieir  conception  of  manliness  under- 
went first  a  shock  and  then  an  enlargement,  as  their  Master  showed 
them  that  sensitiveness  to  pain  is  a  true  and  necessary  element  in 
the  loftiest  courage. 

The  BTanliness  of  Christ,  Phillips  Brooks,  The  Candle  of  the  Lord  and  Other 
Sermons,  p.  265. 

*Tis  Midnight  in  the  Garden  Now 

{This  hymn  was  ivritten  by  a  man  who,  like  Abraham  Lincoln^  never 
went  to  school  more  than  a  few  months.     W.  W.) 

'Tis  midnight ;  and  on  Olive's  brow 

The  star  is  dimmed  that  lately  shone: 
'Tis  midnight ;  in  the  garden  now, 

The  suffering  Saviour  prays  alone. 

'Tis  midnight ;  and  from  all  removed. 
The  Saviour  wrestles  lone  with  fears  ; 

E'en  that  disciple  whom  he  loved 
Heeds  not  his  Master's  grief  and  tears. 

'Tis  midnight ;  and  for  others'  guilt 

The  Man  of  sorrows  weeps  in  blood  ; 
Yet  he  that  hath  in  anguish  knelt 

Is  not  forsaken  by  his  God. 

'Tis  midnight ;  and  from  ether-plains 

Is  borne  the  song  that  angels  know  ; 
Unheard  by  mortals  are  the  strains 

That  sweetly  soothe  the  Saviour's  woe. 

Poems,  William  Bingham  Tappan,  Hymn  Studies,  Rev.  Charles  S.  Nutter,  p.  89, 

**HaiI,  Rabbi !  ''—and  Kissed  Him  M«ch 
And  while  he  was  speaking,  lo,  Judas,  one  of  the  twelve,  came, 
and  with  him  a  great  multitude  with  swords  and  staves,  from  the 
chief  priests  and  elders  of  the  people. 

Now  he  that  betrayed  him  had  given  them  a 
sign,  saying.  Whomever  I  shall  kiss,  that  is 
he :  take  him. 

And  straightway  he  came  to  Jesus,  and  said, 
Hail,  Rabbi  ! — and  kissed  him  much. 

Matthew  xxvi.  47-49.  Revised  Version,  using  Marginals. 

From  Peloubet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  /or  lpot,p.  78. 


UQ      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

"  Dost  Thou  Betray  the  Son  of  Man  ?  ** 
And  even  as  Jesus  spoke  the  traitor  himself  appeared.  Over- 
doing his  part — acting  in  the  too-hurried  impetuosity  of  a  crime 
so  hideous  that  he  dared  not  pause  to  think — he  pressed  forward 
into  the  enclosure,  and  was  in  front  of  all  the  rest.  "Comrade," 
said  Jesus  to  him  as  he  hurried  forward,  "  the  crime  for  which 
thou  art  come  " — the  sentence  seems  to  have  been  cut  short  by 
the  deep  agitation  of  His  spirit,  nor  did  Judas  return  any  answer, 
intent  only  on  giving  to  his  confederates  his  shameful  precon- 
certed signal.  "He  whom  I  kiss,"  he  had  said  to  them,  "the 
same  is  He.     Seize  Him  at  once,  and  lead  Him  away  safely." 

And  so,  advancing  to  Jesus  with  his  usual  cold  title  of  address, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Eabbi,  Eabbi,  hail ! "  and  profaned  the  sacred 
cheek  of  his  Master  with  a  kiss  of  overacted  salutation. 

"Judas,"  said  Jesus  to  him,  with  stern  and  sad  reproach, 
"  dost  thou  betray  the  Son  of  Man  with  a  kiss?  " 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  318. 

Jwdas  Was  Afraid 
On  this  occasion  the  emotion  of  Gethsemane  was  upon  Him — 
the  rapt  sense  of  victory  and  of  a  mind  steeled  to  go  through  with 
its  purpose — and  perhaps  there  remained  on  His  face  some  traces 
of  the  Agony,  which  scared  the  onlookers.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
suppose  that  there  was  anything  preternatural,  though  part  of  the 
terror  of  His  captors  may  have  been  the  dread  lest  He  should 
destroy  them  by  a  miracle.  Evidently  Judas  was  afraid  of  some- 
thing of  this  kind  when  he  said,  "  Take  Him  and  lead  Him  away 
safely." 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  7. 

"Whom  Are  You  Looking  for?" 

Judas  then,  haviug  received  the  cohort  of  soldiers,  and  officers 
from  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees,  comes  thither  with 
lanterns  and  torches  and  weapons. 

Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all  the  things  that  were  coming  upon 
him,  went  forth,  and  said  to  them.  Whom  are  you  seeking? 

They  answered  him,  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  I  am  he. 

And  Judas  also,  who  betrayed  him,  was  standing  with  them. 


AGONY,  BETRAYAL,  ARREST  447 

Wlieu  therefore  he  said  to  them,  I  am  he,  they  went  backward, 
and  fell  to  the  ground. 

Again  therefore  he  asked  them,  Whom  are  you  seeking  1 

And  they  said,  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Jesus  answered,  I  told  you  that  I  am  he  :  if  therefore  you  are 
seeking  me,  let  these  go  their  way  :  that  the  word  might  be  ful- 
filled which  he  spoke,  Of  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me  I  lost 
not  one. 

Simon  Peter  therefore  having  a  sword  drew  it,  and  struck  the 
high  priest's  servant,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear. 

Now  the  servant's  name  was  Malchus. 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  Peter,  Put  up  the  sword  into  the  sheath  : 
the  cup  which  the  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it? 
John  xviii.  3-11.     Revised  Version,  usiug  Marginals,  etc. 

As  a  Good  Shepherd  Stands  forth 

.  .  .  As  a  good  shepherd  stands  forth  between  his  flock  and 
danger,  so  Jesus,  when  His  captors  drew  nigh,  threw  Himself 
between  them  and  His  followers.  It  was  partly  with  this  in  view 
that  He  went  so  boldly  out  and  concentrated  attention  on  Him- 
self by  the  challenge,  "Whom  seek  ye?"  When  they  replied, 
"Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  He  said,  "I  am  he:  if  therefore  ye  seek 
me,  let  these  go  their  way. ' ' 

And  the  fright  into  which  they  were  thrown  made  them  forget 
His  followers  in  their  anxiety  to  secure  Himself. 

This  was  as  He  intended. 
The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  12. 

Taxes  Them  with  Cowardice 

Turning  to  the  "  chief  priests  and  captains  of  the  Temple,  and 
the  elders  which  were  come  out  against  him,"  Jesus  taunts  them 
with  their  cowardice  in  coming  upon  him  in  the  night  and  for  not 
daring  an  open  challenge  in  the  daytime  when  the  people  would 
be  awake  and  could  rally  to  him  : 

' '  When  I  was  daily  with  you  in  the  Temple,  ye  stretched  forth 
no  hands  against  me ;  but  this  is  your  hour,  and  the  power  of 
darkness." 

His  disciples  make  their  escape,  apparently  at  a  quiet  sugges- 


448       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

tion  to  that  effect  from  Jesus — his  resourcefulness  not  forsaking 
him  even  now.     He  himself  is  taken  into  custody. 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  177, 

Twice  Repelled  by  the  Glory  of  His  Pefson 
But  there  was  a  divinity  upon  Him  that  they  could  not  seize 
Him  at  first ;  but  as  a  wave  climbing  of  a  rock  is  beaten  back  and 
scattered  into  members,  till  falling  down  it  creeps  with  gentle 
waftings,  and  kisses  the  feet  of  the  stonj^  mountain,  and  encircles 
it :  so  the  soldiers  coming  at  first  with  a  rude  attempt,  were  twice 
repelled  by  the  glory  of  His  person,  till  they,  falling  at  His  feet, 
were  at  last  admitted  to  a  seizure  of  His  body. 

The  History  of  the  Life  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  Jeremy  Taylor,  Part  III, 
XV,  p.  595. 

**  Excwse  Me  This  Once  ** 
And  those  around  Him,  seeing  what  was  going  to  happen,  ex- 
claimed :  "Lord,  shall  we  fight  with  the  sword*?"     And  one  of 
them  struck  the  bondman  of  the  high  priest  and  took  off  his 
right  ear.     And  in  consequence,  Jesus  said  : 
"Excuse  me  this  once." 
And  He  touched  the  man's  ear  and  healed  it. 
Luke  xxii.  49-51.     A  literal  rendering  into  modern  speech. 

A  Knight  among  Knaves 

In  his  blinded,  blundering  M^ay  Simon  Peter  began  to  brandish 
a  sword  he  had  brought  from  the  supper  room.  With  a  clumsy 
blow  he  sliced  off  the  ear  of  Malchus,  an  upper  servant  of 
Caiaphas. 

Jesus,  whose  arms  had  been  seized  by  the  Temple  police,  gazed 
sadly  upon  the  wrong  done  by  His  too  impulsive  disciple. 

Turning  to  Peter  He  reproved  him  tenderly  for  his  violent 
rashness. 

"Put  that  sword  back  in  its  place,"  He  ordered,  "for  those 
who  use  the  sword  shall  die  by  the  sword. " 

Then,  half  reproachfully,  half  assuringly,  He  asked  them  all  if 
they  did  not  know  that  He  could  escape  if  He  desired,  for  instead 
of  twelve  frightened  followers,  He  could  call  down  twelve  legions 
— seventy-two  thousand — of  the  angel  hosts  to  rescue  Him. 


AGONY,  BETRAYAL,  ARREST  449 

Although  He  had  williugly  resigned  Himself  to  this  capture, 
He  now  wished  to  repair  the  wrong  which  Peter  had  wrought — 
for  the  mistaken  apostle's  sake,  as  well  as  for  that  of  the  wounded 
servant  and  his  wicked  master.  He  could  easily  have  freed  His 
hands  from  the  desperate  grasp  of  the  frightened  soldiers — or  He 
might  have  performed  the  miracle  by  a  word  or  a  look.  But  He 
gently  removed  His  arms  from  their  weakening  hold  as  He  said 
with  a  courteous  smile, 

"Excuse  me  this  once." 

Without  knowing  why,  they  let  go,  and  He  did  one  more  work 
of  healing  before  their  quailing  eyes.  Reaching  out,  He  touched 
and  restored  the  severed  ear,  then  surrendered  again  to  their  cruel 
will  the  beautiful  hands  that  had  never  done  anything  but  good. 
This  was  the  last  miraculous  act  of  mercy  in  the  earthly  pilgrim- 
age of  tlie  sinless  Knight  *'  without  fear  and  without  reproach." 
W.  W. 

The  Naked  Yottng  Man 

He  [Mark]  arrived  in  time  to  see  Judas's  kiss  of  betrayal  and 
Jesus  in  the  hands  of  the  mob.  He  pressed  closer  than  was  alto- 
gether prudent — his  boyish  curiosity  and  his  interest  getting  the 
better  of  his  judgment — and  before  he  knew  it  he  was  in  the  out- 
skirts of  the  mob.  Suddenly  a  rough  hand  was  laid  upon  him 
and  somebody  demanded  of  him  what  was  his  business  there. 
Then  in  an  instant  terror  overtook  him  ;  he  wrested  himself 
loose  from  his  captor  and  ran  homeward,  leaving  the  linen  sheet 
in  the  hands  of  the  man  who  had  seized  him.  He  reached  his 
own  home,  entered  the  gate  of  the  courtyard,  barred  it  behind 
him,  listened  a  moment  to  be  sure  he  was  not  pursued,  and  then 
crept  back  to  bed,  where  he  panted  and  shivered  until  he  got  his 
breath,  and  lay  awake  until  almost  morning.  In  the  morning 
none  of  the  family  knew  that  he  had  been  out,  nor  did  he  tell  it 
immediately  ;  but  long  years  afterwards,  when  he  heard  the  story 
of  that  night  from  Peter  and  wrote  it  down  as  Peter  told  it  to 
him,  he  could  not  refrain  from  adding  these  words,  which  neither 
Matthew  nor  Luke  thought  wortli  keeping  and  which  few  people 
understood  when  they  read  them  : 

"And  they  all  forsook  him,  and  fled.  And  there  followed  him 
a  certain  young  man,  having  a  linen  cloth  cast  about  his  naked 


450       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

body  ;  and  the  young  men  laid  hold  on  him  :  and  he  left  the  linen 

cloth,  and  fled  from  them  naked." 

The  Boy  Who  Ran  Away,  William  E.  Barton,  D.  D.,  The  Outlook,  Novem- 
ber 18,  1911,  p.  665. 

The  Disciples  Disappear  among  the  Trees 
When  Jesus  was  bound  in  Gethsemane  and  led  away  back  to 
Jerusalem,  all  His  disciples  forsook  Him  and  fled.  They  disap- 
peared, I  suppose,  among  the  bushes  and  trees  of  the  garden  and 
escaped  into  the  surrounding  country  or  wherever  they  thought 
they  would  be  safe. 

But  two  of  the  Twelve — St.  Peter  and  St.  John,  who  tells  the 
story — soon  rallied  from  the  first  panic  and  followed,  at  a  dis- 
tance, the  baud  in  whose  midst  their  Master  was.  Keeping  in 
the  shadow  of  the  trees  by  the  roadside,  keeping  in  the  shadow 
of  the  houses  in  the  streets,  they  stole  after  the  moving  mass.  At 
last,  when  it  got  near  its  destination — the  palace  of  the  high 
priest — they  harried  forward  ;  and  St.  John  went  in  with  the 
crowd  ;  but  somehow,  probably  through  irresolution,  St.  Peter 
was  left  outside  in  the  street ;  and  the  door  was  shut. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Chnst,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  31. 

The  Jewish  Senate  Greatly  Agitated 
The  elders  of  the  people — a  body  equivalent  to  a  Jewish  senate 
— were  in  [great]  agitation  respecting  Jesus  ;  for  they,  also,  were 
identified  with  the  preservation  of  things  as  they  were.  One  or 
two  of  them — Nieodemus,  and  Joseph  of  Arimathsea — were  se- 
cretly in  his  favour,  but  they  had  not  moral  courage  to  take  his 
part  openly.     The  names  of  the  rest  have  perished. 

The  college  of  rabbis  took  an  equally  vigorous  part,  but  its 
members  at  this  time  can  only  be  guessed,  though  some  who  had 
met  the  boy  Jesus,  twenty  years  before,  in  the  Temj^le  school, 
doubtless,  survived. 

2  he  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  475. 


XXXIII 


THE  GREAT  CHURCH  TRIAL 

Trial  of  cruel  mockiugs  and  scourgings. 

— Uebreics  xi.  36. 

Taken  before  Annas 

So  the  cohort  and  the  military  tribune,  and  the  officers  of  the 
Jews  seized  Jesus  and  bound  him,  and  led  him  to  Annas  first ; 
for  he  was  father-in-law  to  Caiaphas,  who  was 
high  priest  that  year. 

Now  Caiaphas  was  he  that  gave  counsel  to 
the  Jews  that  it  was  expedient  that  one  man 
should  die  for  the  people. 

John  xviii.  12-14.     Eevised,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

From  Peloubet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  for  ipoi,  p.  83, 

The  Late  High  Priest 

No  figure  is  better  known  in  contemporary  Jewish  history  than 
that  of  Annas  ;  no  person  deemed  more  fortunate  or  successful, 
but  none  also  more  generally  execrated  than  the  late  high  priest. 
He  had  held  the  pontificate  for  only  six  or  seven  years  ;  but  it 
was  filled  by  not  fewer  than  five  of  his  sons,  by  his  son-in-law 
Caiaphas,  and  by  a  grandson.  And  in  those  days  it  was,  at  least 
for  one  of  Annas'  disposition,  much  better  to  have  been  than  to 
be  high  priest. 

He  enjoyed  all  the  dignity  of  the  office,  and  all  its  influence 
also,  since  he  was  able  to  promote  to  it  those  most  closely  con- 
nected with  him.  And,  while  they  acted  publicly,  he  really 
directed  affiiirs,  without  either  the  responsibility  or  the  restraints 
which  the  office  imposed.  His  influence  with  the  Romans  he 
owed  to  the  religious  views  which  he  professed,  to  his  open 
partisanship  of  the  foreigner,  and  to  his  enormous  wealth. 

451 


452      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Sadducean  Annas  was  an  eminently  safe  Churchman,  not 
troubled  with  any  special  convictions  nor  with  Jewish  fanaticism, 
a  pleasant  and  a  useful  man  also,  who  was  able  to  furnish  his 
friends  in  the  Prsetorium  with  large  sums  of  money.  We  have 
seen  what  immense  revenues  the  family  of  Annas  must  have 
derived  from  the  Temple  booths,  and  how  nefarious  and  un- 
popular was  the  traffic.  The  names  of  those  bold,  licentious, 
unscrupulous,  degenerate  sons  of  Aaron  were  spoken  with 
whispered  curses. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Blessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  547. 

Through  John's  Influence  Peter  Was  Admitted 

Now  Simon  Peter  and  the  other  disciple  followed  Jesus.  And 
that  disciple  was  known  to  the  high  priest  and  entered  with 
Jesus  into  the  high  priest's  court,  but  Peter  stood  outside  at  the 
door.  Therefore  the  other  disciple,  who  was  known  to  the  high 
priest,  went  out  and  spoke  to  the  door-keeper  and  brought 
Peter  in. 

John  xviii.  15,  16.     A  literal  rendering  from  the  Greek. 

In  a  Trap 

John  no  doubt,  as  soon  as  he  got  Peter  inside  the  door,  hurried 
away  across  the  court  into  the  hall  where  Jesus  was,  to  witness 
the  proceedings. 

Not  so  Peter.  He  was  not  familiar  with  the  place  as  John 
was ;  and  he  had  the  shyness  of  a  plain  man  at  the  sight  of  a 
great  house.  Besides,  he  was  under  fear  of  being  recognised  as  a 
follower  of  Christ  and  apprehended.  Now  also  the  unlucky  blow 
he  had  made  at  Malchus  at  the  gate  of  Gethsemane  had  to  be  paid 
for,  because  it  greatly  increased  his  chance  of  detection. 

He  remained,  therefore,  just  inside  the  great  door,  watching 
from  the  shadows  of  the  archway  what  was  going  on  inside,  and, 
without  knowing  it,  himself  being  watched  by  the  portress  from  her 
coigne  of  vantage.  He  was  ill  at  ease  ;  for  he  did  not  know  what 
to  do.  He  did  not  dare  to  go,  like  John,  into  the  judgment-hall. 
Perhaps  he  half  wished  he  could  get  out  into  the  street  again. 
He  was  in  a  trap. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D. ,  p.  34, 


THE  GRP:AT  CHUE-CH  TKIAL  453 

**  Aft  Thou  One  of  This  Man's  Disciples  ?  *' 

The  maid  therefore  that  kept  the  door  said  to  Peter,  Art  thou 
also  one  of  this  man's  disciples'? 

He  said,  I  am  not. 

Now  the  servants  and  the  officers  were  standing  there,  having 
made  a  charcoal  fire  ;  for  it  was  cold  ;  and  they  were  warming 
themselves  :  and  Peter  also  was  with  them,  standing  and  warm- 
ing himself. 

John  xviii.  17,  18.     Revised,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

In  Mortal  Terror 

A  fire  of  wood  kindled  in  the  open  court  in  the  chilly  April 
night,  had  attracted  all  round  it,  Peter  among  the  rest,  by  its 
cheerful  blaze.  He  sat,  with  weary  heart,  by  the  light,  wonder- 
ing what  the  end  would  be,  and  not  without  alarm  for  his  owu 
safety,  in  case  he  should  be  recognised,  and  charged  with  his 
violence  in  the  garden.  Meanwhile,  the  door-keeper,  who,  per- 
haps, had  seen  him  in  attendance  on  Jesus  in  the  "Woman's  Court 
of  the  Temple,  sauntered,  like  others,  to  the  fire,  and  with  a 
woman's  abruptness,  after  gazing  at  him  steadily,  put  the  ques- 
tion directly  to  him  — 

"  Art  thou,  also,  one  of  this  man's  disciples?  " 

Confused  and  off  his  guard,  he  said  nothing,  but  she  would  not 
let  him  go. 

"Thou,  also,  wast  with  Jesiis  of  Galilee,"  she  continued — re- 
peating to  those  round  her,  "  Certainly  this  man,  also,  was  with 
Him." 

"Woman,"  said  Peter,  stammering  out  the  words  in  mortal 
terror  for  his  life,  "I  do  not  know  Him  ;  I  do  not  know  what 
you  mean." 

But  his  conscience  was  ill  at  ease,  and  his  fears  grew  apace. 
He  could  no  longer  hide  his  confusion,  and  went  off  into  the 
darkness  of  the  porch.  His  inexorable  inquisitor  would  not, 
however,  let  him  escape.  He  had  hardly  come  to  the  light  again, 
after  a  time,  when  she  once  more  scanned  him,  and,  determined 
to  justify  herself,  began  to  speak  of  him  to  the  serving  men  and 
slaves. 

*'  He  is  one  of  them.    He  was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth. " 


454      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Irritated  and  alarmed,  and  losing  all  presence  of  mind,  he  re- 
peated his  denial  with  an  oath. 

"  I  do  not  know  the  man.     I  am  not  one  of  His  disciples.     I 
swear  I  am  not." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunniugham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  496. 


**  I  Have  Spoken  Openly  to  the  "World  ** 

The  high  priest  therefore  asked  Jesus  of  his  disciples,  and  of 
his  teaching. 

Jesus  answered  him,  I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world  ;  I  ever 
taught  in  synagogues,  and  in  the  temple,  where  all  the  Jews  come 
together  ;  and  in  secret  spoke  I  nothing.  Why  ask  est  thou  me? 
Ask  them  that  have  heard  me,  what  I  spoke  to  them  :  behold, 
these  know  the  things  which  I  said. 

And  when  he  had  said  this,  one  of  the  officers  standing  by 
struck  Jesus  with  a  rod,  saying,  Answerest  thou  the  high  priest 
so? 

Jesus  answered  him.  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the 
evil  :  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou  me  ? 

Annas  therefore  sent  him  bound  to  Caiaphas  the  high  priest. 
John  xviii.  19-24.     Kevised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


"  Answerest  Thoa  the  High  Priest  So  ?  ** 

Such  then  were  the  feelings  of  bitter  contempt  and  hatred  with 
which  the  ex-High  Priest  assumed  the  initiative  in  interrogating 
Jesus.  The  fact  that  he  dared  not  avow  them — nay,  was  forced  to 
keep  them  wholly  out  of  sight — would  only  add  to  the  intensity 
of  his  bitterness.  Even  his  method  of  procedure  seems  to  have 
been  as  wholly  illegal  as  was  his  assumption,  in  such  a  place  and 
at  such  an  hour,  of  any  legal  function  whatever.  Anxious,  at  all 
hazards,  to  trump  up  some  available  charge  of  secret  sedition,  or 
of  unorthodox  teaching,  he  questioned  Jesus  of  His  disciples  and 
of  His  doctrine.  The  answer,  for  all  its  calmness,  involved  a 
deep  reproof. 

' '  I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world  ;  I  ever  taught  in  the  syna- 
gogue and  in  the  Temple,  where  all  the  Jews  come  together,  and 
in  secret  I  said  nothing.     Why  askest  thou  me  ?    Ask  those  who 


THE  GREAT  CHURCH  TRIAL  455 

have  heard  me  what  I  said  to  tliem.     Lo  !  these  " — pointing,  per- 
haps to  the  bystanders — "know  what  I  said  to  them." 

The  emphatic  rejietition  of  the  "I,"  and  its  uunsually  signifi- 
cant position  at  the  end  of  the  sentence,  sliow  that  a  contrast  was 
intended  ;  as  though  He  had  said,  "This  midnight,  this  sedition, 
this  secrecy,  this  indecent  mockery  of  justice,  are  yours,  not  mine. 
There  has  never  been  anything  [hidden]  in  my  doctrine  ;  never 
anything  to  conceal  in  my  actions  ;  no  hole-and-corner  plots 
among  my  followers.  But  thou  ?  and  thine  ?  "  Even  the  minions 
of  Annas  felt  the  false  position  of  their  master  under  this  calm 
rebuke ;  they  felt  that  before  the  transparent  innocence  of  this 
youthful  Rabbi  of  Nazareth  the  hoary  hypocrisy  of  the  crafty 
Sadducee  was  abashed. 

"  Answerest  thou  the  High  Priest  so  ?"  said  one  of  them  with 
a  burst  of  illegal  insolence  ;  and  then,  unreproved  by  this 
priestly  violator  of  justice,  he  profaned  with  the  first  infamous 
blow  the  sacred  face  of  Christ. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S,,  Vol.  II,  p.  335. 

Scouring  the  City  to  Get  Their  Senate  Together 
It  allowed  time  .  to  get  together  the  Sanhedrin.  Messengers 
were  dispatched  to  scour  the  city  for  the  members  at  the  midnight 
hour,  because  the  case  was  urgent  and  could  not  brook  delay. 
None  knew  what  might  happen  if  the  multitude,  when  it  woke 
in  the  morning,  found  the  popular  Teacher  in  the  hands  of  His 
unpopular  enemies.  But,  if  the  trial  were  all  over  before  day- 
break and  Jesus  already  in  the  strong  hands  of  the  Romans 
before  the  multitude  had  learnt  that  anything  was  going  on,  there 
would  be  nothing  to  fear.  So  the  Sanhedrin  was  assembled 
under  cloud  of  night ;  and  the  proceedings  went  forward  in  the 
small  hours  of  the  morning  in  the  house  of  Caiaphas,  to  which 
Jesus  had  been  removed. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  19. 

The  False  Witnesses  Disagree 

And  they  led  Jesus  away  to  the  high  priest,  and  there  came 
together  with  him  all  the  chief  priests  and  elders  and  the 
scribes. 

And  Peter  had  followed  him  afar  off,  even  within,  into  the  court 


456      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

of  the  high  priest ;  and  he  was  sitting  with  the  officers,  and  warm- 
ing himself  in  the  light  of  the  fire. 

Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  whole  council  sought  witness 
against  Jesus  to  put  him  to  death  ;  and  found  it  not. 

For  many  bore  false  witness  against  him,  and  their  evidence 
agreed  not  together. 

And  there  stood  up  certain  ones,  and  bore  false  witness  against 
him,  saying,  We  heard  him  say,  I  will  destroy  this  sanctuary  that 
is  made  with  hands,  and  in  three  days  I  will  build  another  with- 
out hands. 

And  not  even  so  did  their  witness  agree  together. 

And  the  high  priest  stood  up  in  the  midst,  and  asked  Jesus, 
saying,  Answerest  thou  nothing*?  What  is  it  that  these  witness 
against  thee  ? 

But  he  held  his  peace,  and  answered  nothing. 
Mark  xiv.  53-61.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

That  Majestic  Silence 
But  that  majestic  silence  troubled,  thwarted,  confounded,  mad- 
dened them.  It  weighed  them  down  for  the  moment  with  an 
incubus  of  intolerable  self-condemnation.  They  felt,  before  that 
silence,  as  if  they  were  the  culprits.  He  the  judge.  And  as  every 
poisoned  arrow  of  their  carefully  provided  perjuries  fell  harmless 
at  His  feet,  as  though  blunted  on  the  diamond  shield  of  His  white 
innocence,  they  began  to  fear  lest,  after  all,  their  thirst  for  His 
blood  would  go  unslaked,  and  their  whole  plot  fail.  Were  they 
to  be  conquered  by  the  feebleness  of  their  own  weapons,  without 
His  stirring  a  finger,  or  uttering  a  word  ?  Was  this  Prophet  of 
Nazareth  to  prevail  against  'them,  merely  for  the  lack  of  a  few 
consistent  lies?  Was  His  life  charmed  even  against  calumny 
confirmed  by  oaths  ?    It  was  intolerable. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  340. 

"Art  Thoo  the  Christ?** 

Again  the  high  priest  asked  him,  and  said  to  him,  Art  thou 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Blessed  ? 

And  Jesus  said,  I  am  :  and  you  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting 
at  the  right  hand  of  Power,  and  coming  with  the  clouds  of  heaven. 

And  the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes,  and  said,  What  further 


THE  GREAT  CHURCH  TRIAL  457 

need  have  we  of  witnesses?    You  have  heard  the  blasphemy: 
what  do  you  think  ? 

And  they  all  condemned  him  as  deserving  death. 
Mark  xiv.  61-64.     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

*' Thou  Hast  Said!*' 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thou  hast  said. — Matthew  xxvi.  64. 

Jesus  had  been  standing  before  the  domineering  high  priest,  as 
that  blustering  prelate's  judge  and  accuser.  When  Caiaphas, 
instead  of  asking  Him  to  plead  guilty  or  not  guilty  of  the  charge 
against  Him,  demanded  with  the  most  solemn  oath,  whether  He 
really  was  the  world- expected  Messiah,  the  Son  of  God,  Jesus' s 
answer,  "  You  have  said  it,"  was  a  revelation.  It  was  as  if  the 
Accused  had  answered  :  "In  spite  of  yourself  you  have  confessed 
it.  Right  here  before  the  assembled  Senate  you  have  given  me  my 
rightful  title,  for  that  is  who  I  AM  !  " 
w.  w. 

Reverberating  down  the  Ages 

How  this  great  coufession  lifts  the  whole  scene !  We  see  no 
longer  these  small  men  and  their  sordid  proceedings ;  but  the  Son 
of  man  bearing  witness  to  Himself  in  the  audience  of  the  universe. 
How  little  we  care  now  what  the  Jewish  judges  will  say  about 
Him !  This  great  confession  reverberates  down  the  ages,  and 
the  heart  of  the  world,  as  it  hears  it  from  His  lips,  says.  Amen. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D,  D,,  p.  26. 

Caiaphas  Played  His  Part  Well 

Caiaphas  played  his  part]well.  Quivering  with  passion,  and  tri- 
umphant at  his  success,  he  forgot  the  practised  coldness  of  the  Sad- 
ducee,  and  once  more  springing  from  his  couch  with  well-feigned 
horror  at  the  words  of  Jesus,  though  they  were  precisely  what  he 
wished,  rent  the  bosom  of  his  priestly  robe  of  fine  linen,  as  if  it 
were  too  narrow  to  let  him  breathe,  after  hearing  such  blasphemy. 
He  forgot  that  it  was  the  worst  of  blasphemy  for  his  own  lips  to  use 
the  name  of  Jehovah  as  a  mere  cloak  for  crime  and  wickedness  ! 

Jesus  had  spoken  with  the  calmness  of  truth  and  innocence. 
He  had  applied  to  Himself  words  of  Daniel,  and  of  the  Psalms, 
universally  understood  of  the  Messiah,  and  had  predicted  His 
sitting  henceforth  with  Jehovah  on  the  throne  of  heaven,  and 


458      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

descending  in  divine  majesty  to  judge  the  earth,  though,  while 
He  spoke,  He  was  at  the  very  threshold  of  a  shameful  death. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuningham  Geikie,  D,  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  494. 

*' Blasphemy !  He  Is  a  Man  of  Death  !*' 
Now,  at  this  awful,  decisive  moment,  when  death  was  near — 
when,  humanly  speaking,  nothing  could  be  gained,  everything 
must  be  lost,  by  the  avowal — there  thrilled  through  all  the  ages — 
thrilled  through  that  Eternity,  which  is  the  synchronism  of  all  the 
future,  and  all  the  present,  and  all  the  past — the  solemn  auswer, 
"I  AM  ;  and  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of 
power,  and  coming  with  the  clouds  of  heaven.^'  In  that  answer  the 
thunder  rolled — a  thunder  louder  than  at  Sinai,  though  the  ears 
of  the  cynic  and  the  Sadducee  heard  it  not  then,  nor  hear  it  now. 
In  overacted  and  ill-omened  horror,  the  unjust  judge  who  had  thus 
supplemented  the  failure  of  the  perjuries  which  he  had  vainly 
sought — the  false  High  Priest  rending  his  linen  robes  before  the 
True — demanded  of  the  assembly  His  instant  condemnation. 

"Blasphemy  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "what  further  need  have  we 
of  witnesses  !  See,  noiv  ye  heard  his  blasphemy  !  What  is  your 
decision?"  And  with  the  confused  tumultuous  cry,  "He  is 
.     .     .     a  man  of  death  !  " 

"Guilty  of  death  !  "  the  dark  conclave  was  broken  up,  and  the 
second  stage  of  the  trial  of  Jesus  was  over. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  342. 

**Man,  I  Don't  Know  What  You're  Talking  about  !** 

And  when  they  had  kindled  a  fire  in  the  midst  of  the  court, 
and  had  sat  down  together,  Peter  sat  in  the  midst  of  them. 

And  a  certain  maid  seeing  him  as  he  sat  in  the  light  of  the  fire, 
and  looking  stedfastly  upon  him,  said,  This  man  also  was  with  him. 

But  he  denied,  saying,  Woman,  I  know  him  not. 

And  after  a  little  while  another  saw  him,  and  said.  Thou  also 
art  one  of  them. 

But  Peter  said,  Man,  I  am  not. 

And  after  the  space  of  about  one  hour  another  confidently 
affirmed,  saying,  Of  a  truth  this  man  also  was  with  him  :  for  he 
is  a  Galilean. 

But  Peter  said,  Man,  I  know  not  what  thou  sayest. 


THE  GREAT  CHURCH  TRIAL  459 

And  immediately,  while  he  was  speakiug,  the  cock  crew. 
And  the  Lord  turned  and  looked  upon  Peter. 
And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  the  Lord,  how  that  he  said 
to  him,  Before  the  cock  crow  this  day,  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice. 
And  he  went  out,  and  wept  bitterly. 
Luke  xxii.  55-62.     Eevised  Version,  usiug  Margiuals,  etc. 

Stttng  with  Unutterable  Anguish 
As  Jesus  stepped  down  out  of  the  hall  into  the  courtyard.  His 
ear  had  caught  the  accents  of  His  disciple,  and  stung  with  unut- 
terable anguish,  He  turned  quickly  round  in  the  direction  whence 
the  sounds  proceeded.  At  the  same  moment  Peter  turned,  and 
they  looked  one  another  full  in  the  face.  Jesus  did  not  speak  ; 
for  a  single  syllable,  even  of  surprise,  would  have  betrayed  His 
disciple.  Nor  could  He  linger ;  for  the  soldiers  were  hurrying 
Him  on.  But  for  a  single  instant  their  eyes  met,  and  soul  looked 
into  soul. 

Who  shall  say  what  was  in  that  look  of  Christ  ?  There  may  be 
a  world  in  a  look.  It  may  be  more  eloquent  than  a  whole  volume 
of  words.  It  may  reveal  far  more  than  the  lips  can  ever  utter. 
One  soul  may  give  itself  away  to  another  in  a  look.  A  look  may 
beatify  or  plunge  in  the  depths  of  despair. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  40. 

The  Saviour  Looked  on  Peter 

The  Saviour  looked  ou  Peter.     Ay,  no  word, 

No  gesture  of  reproach  ;  the  heavens  serene, 

Though  heavy  with  armed  justice,  did  not  lean 

Their  thunders  that  way  ;  the  forsaken  Lord 

Looked  only  ou  the  traitor.     None  record 

What  that  look  was,  none  guess  ;  for  those  who  have  seen 

Wronged  lovers  loving  through  a  death-pang  keen, 

Or  pale-cheeked  martyrs  smiling  to  a  sword. 

Have  missed  Jehovah  at  the  judgment-call. 

And  Peter,  from  the  height  of  blasphemy, — 

"  I  never  knew  this  man  " — did  quail  and  fall 
As  knowing  straight  that  God,  and  turned  free 
And  went  out  speechless  from  the  face  of  all. 
And  filled  the  silence,  weeping  bitterly. 

Sonnets,   Elizabeth   Barrett   Browning,   Jfrs,  Browning''s   Complete  Poetical 
Works,  p.  359. 


460      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Remorse  of  Judas 

Then  Judas,  who  betrayed  him,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  con- 
demned, repented  and  brought  back  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver 
to  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  saying,  I  have  sinned  in  that  I 
betrayed  innocent  blood. 

But  they  said.  What  is  that  to  us  ?  see  thou  to  it. 

And  he  threw  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
departed  ;  and  he  went  away  and  hanged  himself. 

And  the  chief  priests  took  the  pieces  of  silver,  and  said,  It  is 
not  lawful  to  put  them  into  the  sacred  treasury,  since  it  is  the 
price  of  blood. 

And  they  took  counsel,  and  bought  with  them  the  potter's  field, 
to  bury  strangers  in.  Wherefore  that  field  was  called,  The  Field 
of  Blood  unto  this  day. 

Then  was  fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  through  Jeremiah 
the  prophet,  saying,  And  they  took  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver, 
the  price  of  him  whom  they  priced,  on  the  part  of  the  sons  of 
Israel ;  and  they  gave  them  for  the  potter's  field,  as  the  Lord 
appointed  me. 

Matthew  xxvii.  3-10.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  ete. 

**  1  Have  Sinned,  He  Is  Innocent !  ** 

.     .     .     "  All  left  bim  to  his  fate, 
Not  one  dared  own  that  he  was  a  follower  — 
Not  one  gave  witness  for  him  of  them  all. 
Stop  !     When  I  say  not  one  of  them,  I  mean 
No  one  but  Judas — Judas  whom  they  call 
The  traitor — who  betrayed  him  to  his  death. 
He  rushed  into  the  council-hall  and  cried, 
'  'Tis  I  have  sinned — Christus  is  innocent.'  " 

A  Roman  Lawyer  in  Jerusalem,Wi\\iam  Wetmore  Story,  In  Defence  of  Judas, 
p.  11. 

Peter  Never  Slept  Past  the  Hour  of  His  Shame 
He  lived  to  be  an  old  man,  but  it  has  been  said  of  Simon  Peter 
that  never,  from  that  dawn  to  his  last,  could  he  sleep  past  the 
hour  that  had  known  his  shame  ;  but  rising  from  his  bed,  while 
the  cocks  called  through  the  valleys,  he  prayed  forgiveness  for 
his  sin,  and  found  it. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  374. 


THE  GREAT  CHURCH  TRIAL  461 

"  Prophesy  !    Who  Struck  Thee  ?  " 
And  the  men  that  held  Jesus  mocked  him,  aud  beat  him.     And 
they  blindfolded  him,  aud  asked  him,  saying,  Prophesy  :  who  is 
he  that  struck  thee  ? 
And  many  other  things  did  they  speak  against  him,  reviling  him. 
Luke  xxii.  63-65.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Judges  Separated  for  an  Hour  or  Two  of  Sleep 
Meanwhile,  Jesus  was  left  in  charge  of  the  rough  Temple 
police,  while  the  judges  separated  for  an  hour  or  two  of  sleep. 
There  was  nothing,  now,  to  restrain  the  coarse  natures  to  whom 
the  condemned  prisoner  had  been  consigned.  One  under  sen- 
tence of  death  was  always,  in  these  rough  ages,  the  sport  and 
mockery  of  his  guards,  and  those  in  charge  of  Jesus,  made  worse 
than  common  by  the  example  of  the  judges,  vented  their  cruelty 
on  Him  with  the  coarsest  brutality.  Their  passions,  indeed,  in- 
tensified their  bitterness,  for  they  were  fierce  Jewish  bigots.  He 
was  to  die  as  a  false  prophet,  and  as  such  they  treated  Him,  rack- 
ing their  ingenuity  to  invent  insult  and  injury. 

Having  blindfolded  Him,  some  struck  Him  violently  on  the 
head  with  their  fists,  or  perhaps  with  the  vine-stick,  which 
Roman  centurions  and  other  officials  carried  as  their  sign  of 
rank,  and  were  wont  to  use  on  the  face  or  head  of  the  soldiers  ; 
for  some  of  the  captors  of  Jesus  had  such  staves  with  them — others 
struck  Him  with  their  open  hands,  while  still  others,  adding  the 
greatest  indignity  an  Oriental  could  offer,  spat  in  His  face ;  cry- 
ing, as  they  insulted  and  tortured  Him — "Prophesy  to  us,  thou 
Messiah,  who  was  it  that  did  it  1 " 

The  hands  they  had  bound  had  healed  the  sick,  and  raised  the 
dead  ;  the  lips  they  smote  had  calmed  the  winds  and  the  waves. 
One  word,  and  the  splendours  of  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration 
would  have  filled  the  chamber  ;  one  word,  and  the  menials  now 
sporting  with  Him  at  their  will  would  have  perished.  But,  as 
He  had  begun  and  continued.  He  would  end— as  self-restrained 
in  the  use  of  His  awful  powers  on  His  own  behalf  as  if  He  had 
been  the  most  helpless  of  men.  Divine  patience  and  infinite  love 
knew  no  wearying.  He  had  but  to  will  it  and  walk  free,  but  He 
came  to  die  for  man,  and  He  would  not  shrink  from  doing  so. 
The  Life  arid  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuingbam  Geikie,  D.  D,,  Vol.  II,  p.  495. 


462      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

They  Disagreed  among  Themselves 
Caiaphas,  as  raliug  high  j)riest,  was  president  of  the  SanhedriD, 
before  which  Jesus  was  tried.  A  legal  meeting  of  this  court  could 
not  be  held  before  sunrise,  perhaps  about  six  o'clock.  But  there 
were  many  of  its  members  already  on  the  spot,  who  had  been 
drawn  together  by  their  interest  in  the  case.  They  were  eager  to 
get  to  work,  both  to  gratify  their  own  dislike  to  Him  and  to  pre- 
vent the  interference  of  the  populace  with  their  proceedings. 

Accordingly  they  resolved  to  hold  an  informal  meeting  at  once, 
at  which  the  accusation,  evidence  and  so  forth  might  be  put  into 
shape,  so  that,  when  the  legal  hour  for  opening  their  doors  ar- 
rived, there  might  be  nothing  to  do  but  to  repeat  the  necessary 
formalities  and  carry  Him  off  to  the  governor.  This  was  done  ; 
and,  while  Jerusalem  slept,  these  eager  judges  hurried  forward 
their  dark  designs. 

They  did  not  begin,  as  might  have  been  expected,  with  a  clear 
statement  of  the  crime  with  which  He  was  charged.  Indeed,  it 
would  have  been  difficult  for  them  to  do  so,  for  they  were  divided 
among  themselves.  Many  things  in  His  life  which  the  Pharisees 
regarded  as  criminal  were  treated  by  the  Sadducees  with  indiffer- 
ence ;  and  other  acts  of  His,  like  the  cleansing  of  the  temple, 
which  had  enraged  the  Sadducees,  afforded  gratification  to  the 
Pharisees. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M,  A.,  p.  128. 

Scene  of  the  Temple  Trial 
Imagine,  then,  a  large  room  forming  one  side  of  the  court  of  an 
Oriental  house,  from  which  it  is  separated  only  by  a  row  of 
pillars,  so  that  what  is  going  on  in  the  lighted  interior  is  visible 
to  those  outside.  The  room  is  semicircular.  Bound  the  arc  of 
the  semicircle  the  half-hundred  or  more  members  sit  on  a  divan. 
Caiaphas,  the  president,  occupies  a  kind  of  throne  in  the  centre 
of  the  opposite  wall.  In  front  stands  the  Accused,  facing  him, 
with  the  jailers  on  the  one  side  and  the  witnesses  on  the  other. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  20. 

Before  the  Sanhedrin 
And  as  soon  as  it  was  day,  the  assembly  of  the  elders  of  the 
people  was  gathered  together,  both  chief  priests  and  scribes ; 


THE  GREAT  CHURCH  TRIAL  4C3 

and  tliey  led  him  away  into  their  council,  saying,  If  thou  art  the 
Christ,  tell  us. 

But  he  said  to  them,  If  I  tell  you,  you  will  not  believe  :  and 
if  I  ask  you,  you  will  not  answer.  But  from  henceforth  shall 
the  Sou  of  man  be  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  the  power  of  God. 

And  they  all  said.  Art  thou  then  the  Son  of  God  ? 

And  he  said  to  them.  You  say  it  because  I  am. 

And  they  said,  What  further  need  have  we  of  witness  ?  for  we 
ourselves  have  heard  from  his  own  mouth. 

Luke  XKu.  66-71.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

Leading  Their  Own  Messiah  in  Chains 
And  they  bound  Mm,  and  led  Mm  away,  and  delivered  Mm  up  to 
Pilate  the  governor. — Matthew  xxvii.  2. 

What  a  spectacle  was  that !  The  heads  of  the  Jewish  nation 
leading  their  own  Messiah  in  chains  to  deliver  Him  up  to  a 
Gentile  governor,  with  the  petition  that  He  should  be  put  to 
death  !  Shades  of  the  heroes  and  the  prophets,  who  loved  this 
nation  and  boasted  of  it  and  foretold  its  glorious  fate,  the  hour 
of  destiny  has  come,  and  this  is  the  result ! 

It  was  an  act  of  national  suicide.     But  was  it  not  more  %    Was 
it  not  the  frustration  of  the  purpose  and  the  promise  of  God  ? 
The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  48. 


XXXIV 

SUFFERED  UNDER  PONTIUS  PILATE 

The  head  that  once  was  crowned  with  thorns 
Is  crowned  with  glory  now. 

— Thomas  Kelly. 

That  Morning  in  the  Praetorium 
"  Accursed  morn  ! — more  in  my  thoughts  than  Eome! 
When  Sanhedrists  and  priests,  with  Caiaphas 
To  lead  the  learned  rabble,  broke  my  sleep. 
And  brought,  that  I  should  doom  him,  that  one  man 
Whom,  of  all  Jews,  I  hated  not,  nor  scorned. 
And  when  I  asked  '  What  accusation 
Have  ye  against  this  one  ?  '  and  bade  them  judge 
According  to  their  law  (which — under  Rome — 
Held  no  more  power  to  kill),  they,  wanting  blood, 
Must  have  me  hear  how  he  perverted  minds, 
Decried  our  tax,  would  pull  the  Temple  down, 
And  make  himself  a  king." 

The  Light  of  the  World,  Sir  Edwin  Arnold,  K.  C.  I.  E.,  C.  S.  I.,  p.  69. 


Oracle 
tie  pa 


Pilate  Knew  Them  Well 
Pilate  understood  perfectly  well  with  whora^ie  was  dealing. 
He  could  only  be  amused  with  their  zeal  for  tfie  payment  of  the 
Roman  tribute.  One  of  the  Evangelists  says,  "  He  knew  that  for 
envy  they  had  delivered  Him."  How  far  he  was  already  ac- 
quainted with  the  career  of  Jesus  we  cannot  tell.  He  had  been 
governor  all  the  time  of  the  movement  inaugurated  by  the  Baptist 
and  continued  by  Christ,  and  he  can  hardly  have  remained  in 
entire  ignorance  of  it.  The  dream  of  his  wife,  which  we  shall 
come  to  soon,  seems  to  prove  that  Jesus  had  already  been  a  theme 
of  conversation  in  the  palace  ;  and  perhaps  the  tedium  of  a  visit 
to  Jerusalem  may  have  been  relieved  for  the  governor  and  his 
wife  by  the  story  of  the  young  Enthusiast  who  was  bearding  the 
fanatic  priests.  Pilate  displays,  all  through,  a  real  interest  in 
Jesus  and  a  genuine  respect. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  53. 

464 


4  i  W^k^ 


Wm.  Hole 


"  WHY,    WHAT   HAS   HE   DONE?  " 


SUFFERED  UNDER  PONTIUS  PILATE  466 

"  What  Accusation  Do  Yoa  Bring  against  This  Man?" 

They  lead  Jesus  therefore  from  Caiaphas  into  the  Prsetorium  : 
and  it  was  early  ;  aud  they  themselves  entered  not  into  the  palace, 
that  they  might  not  be  defiled,  but  might  eat  the  passover. 

Pilate  therefore  went  out  to  them,  aud  said,  What  accusation 
do  you  bring  against  this  man? 

They  answered  and  said  to  him,  If  this  man  were  not  an  evil- 
doer, we  should  not  have  delivered  him  up  to  thee. 

Pilate  therefore  said  to  them.  Take  him  yourselves,  andjudg* 
him  according  to  your  law. 

The  Jews  said  to  him,  It  is  not  lawful  for 
us  to  put  any  man  to  death  :  that  the  word  of 
Jesus  might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spoke, 
signifying  by  what  manner  of  death  he  should 
die. 

John  xviii.  28-32.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

From  Peloubet's  Notes  on  the  Internationat 
Lessons  for  i  901 ,  p.  91. 

**If  He  Were  Not  a  Great  Offender  We  Would  Not  Deliver 
Him  up  to  You  ** 

Pilate,  having  taken  his  seat,  began  the  proceedings  by  formally 
asking  Caiaphas  and  his  colleagues  what  accusation  they  had 
against  the  prisoner. 

"  If  He  had  not  been  a  great  offender,"  replied  Caiaphas,  as 
spokesman,  "  we  would  not  have  delivered  Him  up  to  thee.  We 
have  power  enough  to  punish  ordinary  offenders  by  our  own 
laws,  but  this  man's  crime  goes  beyond  our  powers  in  the  punish- 
ment it  demands,  aud,  therefore,  we  have  handed  Him  over  to 
you.  That  we  have  done  so,  I  submit,  is  proof  that  He  deserves 
death.  The  presence  of  myself,  the  high  priest,  and  of  the  nota- 
bles of  the  nation,  as  His  accusers,  may  suffice  to  prove  the 
blackness  of  His  guilt." 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  503. 

Sent  over  to  Herod^s  Palace 

And  Pilate  said  to  the  chief  priests  and  the  multitudes,  I  find 
no  fault  in  this  man. 


466      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

But  they  were  the  more  urgent,  sayiug,  He  stirs  up  the  people, 
teacbiug  throughout  all  Judea,  and  begiuniug  from  Galilee  eveu 
to  this  place. 

But  when  Pilate  heard  it,  he  asked  whether  the  mau  were  a 
Galilean. 

And  when  he  knew  that  he  was  of  Herod's  jurisdiction,  he  sent 
him  to  Herod,  who  himself  also  was  at  Jerusalem  in  these 
days. 

Now  when  Herod  saw  Jesus,  he  was  exceeding  glad  :  for  he 
was  of  a  loDg  time  desirous  to  see  him,  because  he  had  heard 
concerning  him  ;  and  he  hoped  to  see  some  miracle  done  by 
him.  And  he  questioned  him  in  many  words  ;  but  he  answered 
nothing. 

And  the  chief  priests  and  the  scribes  stood,  vehemently  accus- 
ing him. 

And  Herod  with  his  soldiers  set  him  at  nought,  and  mocked 
him,  and  arraying  him  in  gorgeous  apparel  sent  him  back  to 
Pilate. 

And  Herod  and  Pilate  became  friends  with  each  other  that 
very  day  :  for  before  they  were  at  enmity  between  themselves. 
Luke  xxiii.  4-12.     Revised  Version,  etc. 

Herod  Treated  Jesus  as  if  He  Were  a  Juggler 

Such  was  Herod's  estimate  of  Christ.  He  put  Him  on  the  level 
of  a  new  dancer  or  singer  ;  he  looked  on  His  miracles  as  a  species 
of  conjuring  or  magic  ;  and  he  expected  from  Him  the  same 
entertainment  as  he  might  have  obtained  from  any  wandering 
professor  of  magical  arts. 

At  once  he  addressed  Him  in  the  friendliest  manner  and  ques- 
tioned Him  in  many  words.  Apijarently  he  quite  forgot  the 
purpose  for  which  Pilate  had  sent  Him.  He  did  not  even  wait 
for  any  replies,  but  went  rambling  on.  He  had  thought  much 
about  religion,  and  he  wished  Jesus  to  know  it.  He  had  theorii-s 
to  ventilate,  puzzles  to  propound,  remarks  to  make.  A  man  who 
has  no  religion  may  yet  have  a  great  deal  to  say  about  religion  ; 
and  there  are  people  who  like  far  better  to  hear  themselves  talk- 
ing than  to  listen  to  any  speaker,  however  wise.  No  mouth  is 
more  voluble  than  that  of  a  characterless  man  of  feeling. 
The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D,,  p.  68. 


SUFFERED  UNDER  PONTIUS  PILATE         4G7 

Remained  Silent  That  the  Baptist  Might  Be  Heard 

It  may  be  tliouglit  that  Jesus  ought  to  have  spoken  to  Herod — 
that  He  missed  au  opportuuity.  Ought  He  not  to  have  appealed 
to  his  conscience  and  attempted  to  rouse  him  to  a  sense  of  his 
sin  ?  To  this  I  answer  that  His  silence  was  itself  this  appeal. 
Had  there  been  a  spark  of  conscience  left  in  Herod,  those  eyes 
looking  him  through  and  through,  and  that  divine  dignity  meas- 
uring and  weighing  him,  would  have  caused  his  sins  to  rise  up 
out  of  the  grave  and  overwhelm  him.  Jesus  was  silent,  that  the 
voice  of  the  dead  Baptist  might  be  heard. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  72. 

Back  to  Pilate 

And  Pilate  called  together  the  chief  priests  and  the  rulers  aud 
the  ]3eople,  and  said  to  them,  "You  brought  to  me  this  man,  as 
one  that  perverts  the  people :  and,  behold,  I,  having  examined 
him  before  you,  found  no  fault  in  this  man  touching  those  things 
of  which  you  accuse  him  :  no,  nor  yet  Herod  : 
for  he  sent  him  back  to  us  ;  and  behold,  noth- 
ing punishable  by  death  has  been  done  by  him. 
I  will  therefore  chastise  him,  aud  release  him." 

Luke  xxiii.  13-16.     Revised  Versiou,  usiug  modem 
form. 

From  Peloubet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  for  1 901 ,  p.  93. 

A  Ctowd  Had  Gathered  Meanwhile 

Up  to  this  point  the  actors  assembled  on  the  stage  of  Christ's 
trial  were  comparatively  few.  It  had  been  the  express  desire  of 
the  Jewish  authorities  to  hurry  the  case  through  before  the  popu- 
lace of  the  city  and  the  crowds  of  Passover  strangers  got  wind  of 
it.  The  proceedings  had  accordingly  gone  forward  all  night ;  and 
it  was  still  early  morning.  As  Jesus  was  led  through  the  streets 
to  Herod  and  back,  accompanied  by  so  many  of  the  principal 
citizens,  no  doubt  a  considerable  number  must  have  gathered. 
But  now  circumstances  brouglit  a  great  multitude  on  the  scene. 
The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D,  D.,  p.  82. 


468      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Qoss-qaestioned  in  Private  by  Pilate 

Pilate  therefore  entered  again  into  the  Prsetorium,  and  called  to 
Jesus,  and  said  to  him,  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ? 

Jesus  answered,  Sayest  thou  this  of  thyself,  or  did  others  tell 
thee  concerning  me  ? 

Pilate  answered,  Am  I  a  Jew  ?  Thine  own  nation  and  the  chief 
priests  delivered  thee  to  me  :  what  hast  thou  done  ? 

Jesus  answered,  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world  :  if  my  king- 
dom were  of  this  world,  then  would  my  officers  fight,  that  I  should 
not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews  :  but  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from 
hence. 

Pilate  therefore  said  to  him,  Art  thou  a  king  then  ? 

Jesus  answered.  Thou  sayest  it  because  I  am  a  king.  To  this 
end  have  I  been  born,  and  to  this  end  am  I  come  into  the  world, 
that  I  should  bear  witness  to  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the 
truth  hears  my  voice. 

Pilate  said  to  him.  What  is  truth  f 
John  xviii.  33-38,     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 


'*My  Kingdom  Is  Not  of  This  World** 

He  [Pilate]  saw  simply  a  Galilean  peasant ;  not  a  wild  revolu- 
tionist nor  a  hardened  criminal.  The  man  seemed  jperfectly  harm- 
less. 

"  Did  you  suggest  that,"  answered  Jesus  quietly,  "or  have  other 
people  said  that  to  you  about  mel  " 

"Do  you  take  me  for  a  Jew?"  Pilate  answered  crossly.  "It 
is  your  countrymen  and  your  own  jiriests  that  have  handed  you 
over  to  me.     What  have  you  been  doing,  now?  " 

"My  kingdom,"  said  Jesus  firmly,  "is  not  one  of  this  world's 
kingdoms.  If  it  had  been,  of  course  my  servants  would  have  been 
fighting  to  prevent  my  being  handed  over  to  the  Jews,  but,  as  it 
is,  my  kingdom  is  nothing  of  that  kind." 

"  So  you  are  a  king  after  all !  "  exclaimed  Pilate. 

"Yes.  I  am  King,  as  you  say,"  answered  Jesus.  "  I  was  born 
for  this,  I  have  come  into  the  world  for  this  one  thing— to  bear 
witness  to  the  Truth.  Everyone  who  is  on  the  side  of  Truth 
hears  my  voiee." 


SUFFERED  UNDER  PONTIUS  PILATE         469 

"  Truth  1 ' '  asked  Pilate  scornfully.     ' '  What  is  that  ? ' ' 
He  made  up  his  mind  that  Jesus  was  a  dreamer. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byron  Forbush,  p.  243. 

**  What  Shall  I  Do  to  Jes«s"Who  Is  Called  the  Christ  ?** 

Now  at  the  feast  the  governor  was  accustomed  to  release  to 
the  multitude  one  prisoner,  whom  they  wished. 

And  they  had  then  a  notable  prisoner,  called  Barabbas. 

When  thei'efore  they  were  gathered  together,  Pilate  said  to 
them,  Whom  do  you  wish  that  I  release  to  you  ?  Barabbas,  or 
Jesus  who  is  called  the  Christ  1 

For  he  kuew  that  for  envy  they  had  delivered  him  up. 

And  while  he  was  sitting  on  the  judgment-seat,  his  wife  sent  to 
him,  saying,  Have  nothing  to  do  with  that  righteous  man  :  for  I 
have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in  a  dream  because  of  him. 

Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders  persuaded  the  multitudes 
that  they  should  ask  for  Barabbas,  and  destroy  Jesus. 

But  the  governor  answered  and  said  to  them.  Which  of  the  two 
is  it  your  will  that  I  release  to  you  ? 

And  they  said,  Barabbas. 

Pilate  said  to  them,  What  then  shall  I  do  to  Jesus  who  is  called 
the  Christ  ? 

They  all  say,  Let  him  be  crucified. 

And  he  said.  Why,  what  evil  has  he  done"? 

But  they  cried  out  exceedingly,  saying.  Let  him  be  crucified. 

So  when  Pilate  saw  that  he  availed  nothing,  but  rather  a  tumult 
was  arising,  he  took  water,  and  washed  his  hands  before  the  mul- 
titude, saying,  I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  righteous  man  : 
you  see  to  it ! 

And  all  the  people  answered  and  said.  His  blood  be  on  us,  and 
on  our  children. 

Then  he  released  to  them  Barabbas  :  but  Jesus  he  scourged  and 
delivered  to  be  crucified. 

llatthew  xxvii.  15-26.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

"Not  This  Man,  but  Barabbas  !*' 

Arrived  within  a  few  feet  of  the  barrier  which  divided  the  ju- 
dicial precincts  from  the  common  hall,  Pilate  paused.     Lifting  up 


470      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

his  voice  so  that  it  might  be  heard  ou  the  very  outskirts  of  the 
throngj  he  addressed  himself  to  the  people,  at  the  same  time 
pointing  to  the  regal  Figure  standing  a  little  way  behind  him. 

"  Behold  your  King  !  " 

Yells  of  derisive  laughter  answered  him,  intermingled  with 
hooting  and  hisses.  Caiaphas  smiled  disdainfully,  and  Annas 
ai3peared  to  be  convulsed  with  a  paroxysm  of  silent  mirth.  Pilate's 
glance  swept  over  them  both  with  a  supreme  and  measureless 
scorn.  He  loathed  the  Jewish  priests,  their  ritual  and  their  doc- 
trine, and  made  no  secret  of  his  abhorrence.  Holding  up  one 
hand  to  enjoin  silence  he  again  appealed  to  the  irritated  and  im- 
patient mob. 

"  I  have  examined  this  man  before  you,"  he  said,  in  deliberate 
far-reaching  accents,  "  and  I  find  in  him  no  fault  worthy  of  death  !  " 

Here  he  paused,  and  a  sudden  hush  of  stupefaction  and  surprise 
fell  on  the  listening  crowd.     The  governor  resumed, — 

"But  ye  have  a  custom  that  I  should  release  unto  you  one  at 
the  Passover  ;  will  ye  therefore  that  I  release  unto  you  the  '  King 
of  the  Jews'?" 

A  roar  of  furious  denial  interrupted  and  drowned  his  voice. 

"  Not  this  man  !  " 

''Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas  !  " 

Bambbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  36. 

A  Thrill  of  Horroi"  through  the  Heart  of  Humanity- 
No.  That  basin  of  water  washes  not  the  blood  of  the  Galilean 
from  the  hands  of  the  Roman  Empire,  red  with  world-wide  spolia- 
tion. It  was  Rome  that  put  J(  sus  to  death.  The  Jewish  method 
of  capital  punishment  was  by  stoning.  The  assassination  of  The 
Carpenter,  a  deed  that  has  sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through  the  heart 
of  humanity  ever  since,  was  perpetrated  by  Rome  and  by  a  hand- 
ful of  Romanized  renegades  among  the  Jewish  privileged  class. 
The  hand-washing  scene  was  but  Pilate's  spectacular — and  one 
likes  to  believe  ineffectual — attempt  to  restore  peace  in  his  family. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  181. 

He  Should  Have  Been  Protected  from  the  Jews 
Pilate  had  tried  Jesus  and  found  Him  innocent;   and  so  he 
fi-aukly  told  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin,  thereby  reversing 


SUFFERED  UNDER  PONTIUS  PILATE         471 

their  seutence.  What  ought  to  have  followed  1  Of  course  Jesus 
ought  to  have  been  released  and,  if  necessary,  protected  from  the 
feeling  of  the  Jews. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D,,  p.  61. 

Growned  with  Thorns 

Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor  took  Jesus  into  the  Prsetorium, 
and  gathered  around  him  the  whole  cohort. 

And  they  stripped  him,  and  put  on  him  a  scarlet  robe.  And 
they  plaited  a  crown  of  thorns  and  put  it  upon  his  head,  and  a 
reed  in  his  right  hand  ;  and  they  knelt  down  before  him,  and 
mocked  him,  saying.  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  ! 

And  they  did  spit  upon  him,  and  took  the  reed  and  smote  him 
on  the  head. 

Blaithew  xxvii.  27-30.     Revised  VersioD,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

A  Mock  Coronation 
Their  horseplay  took  the  form  of  a  mock  coronation.  They 
had  caught  the  drift  of  the  trial  sufficiently  to  know  that  the 
charge  against  Jesus  was  that  He  pretended  to  be  a  king ;  and 
lofty  pretensions  on  the  part  of  one  who  appears  to  be  mean  and 
poor  easily  lend  themselves  to  ridicule.  Besides,  in  their  minds 
there  was  perhaps  an  amused  scorn  at  the  thought  of  a  Jew  aim- 
ing at  a  sovereignty  above  that  of  C?esar.  Foreign  soldiers 
stationed  in  Palestine  cannot  have  liked  the  Jews,  who  hated 
them  so  cordially  ;  and  this  may  have  given  an  edge  to  their 
scorn  of  a  Jewish  pretender. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D,,  p.  92. 

**  I  Have  Power  to  Crucify  Thee  ** 

And  Pilate  went  out  again,  and  said  to  them,  ''Behold,  I  bring 
him  out  to  you,  that  you  may  know  that  I  find  no  crime  in  him." 

Jesus  therefore  came  out,  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the 
purple  garment.     And  Pilate  said  to  them,  "Behold,  the  man  !  " 

When  therefore  the  chief  priests  and  the  officers  saw  him,  they 
cried  out,  saying,  "Crucify  !  "  —  " Crucify  !  " — 

Pilate  said  to  them,  "Take  him  yourselves,  and  crucify  him  : 
for  I  find  no  crime  in  him." 

The  Jews  answered  him,  "We  have  a  law,  and  by  that  law  he 
ought  to  die,  because  he  made  himself  the  Son  of  God. " 


472      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

When  Pilate  therefore  heard  this  saying,  he  was  the  more 
afraid ;  and  he  entered  the  palace  again,  and  said  to  Jesus, 
"  Whence  art  thou  I  " 

But  Jesus  gave  him  no  answer. 

Pilate  therefore  said  to  him,  "Speakest  thou  not  to  me?  know- 
est  thou  not  that  I  have  authority  to  release  thee,  and  have  power 
to  crucify  thee  *? " 

Jesus  answered  him,  "  Thou  wouldest  have  no  authority  against 
me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above  :  therefore  he  that  de- 
livered me  to  thee  has  greater  sin," 

John  xix.  4-11.     Eevised  Version,  with  Marginals  and  other  authorities. 

"Behold  the  Man!** 

I  see  One  bearing  human  pain,  His  cross,  in  mortal  test, 
A  Knight  without  reproach  or  stain,  a  crown  of  thorns  His  crest ; 
O  waiting  world,  "  Behold  the  Man  !  " — of  all  mankind  the  best  — 
The  Son  of  man  and  God. 
W.  W, 

What  a  Sight  It  Was! 

If  Pilate  actually  placed  the  two  Jesuses  side  by  side  on  his 
platform,  what  a  sight  it  was  !  The  political  desperado,  stained 
with  murder,  there  ;  the  Healer  and  Teacher,  who  had  gone  about 
continually  doing  good,  the  Son  of  man,  the  Sou  of  God,  here. 
Now  which  will  you  have — Jesus  or  Barabbas?  And  the  cry 
came  ringing  from  ten  thousand  throats,  "  Barabbas  !  " 

To  Jesus  what  must  that  have  meant !  These  were  the  inhab- 
itants of  Jerusalem,  whom  He  had  longed  to  gather  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings ;  they  were  the  hearers 
of  His  words,  the  subjects  of  His  miracles,  the  objects  of  His  love ; 
and  they  prefer  to  Him  a  murderer  and  a  robber. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesits  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  84. 

**  Shall  I  Crucify  Your  King?** 

Upon  this  Pilate  sought  to  release  him  :  but  the  Jews  cried  out, 
saying,  "If  thou  release  this  man,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend  : 
every  one  that  makes  himself  a  king,  opposes  Caesar." 

When  Pilate  therefore  heard  these  words,  he  brought  Jesus  out, 
and  sat  down  upon  the  judgment-seat  at  a  place  called  "The  Pave- 
ment," but  in  Hebrew,  "Gabbatha." 


SUFFERED  UNDER  PONTIUS  PILATE         473 

Now  it  was  the  Preparation  of  the  Passover  :  it  was  about  the 

sixth  hour. 

And  he  said  to  the  Jews,  "  Behold,  your  King  !  " 

They  therefore  cried  out,  "  Away  with  him  !  away  with  him  ! 

crucify  him  !  " 

Pilate  said  to  them,  "  Shall  I  crucify  your  King?  " 
The  chief  priests  answered,  "  We  have  no  king  but  Cajsar." 
Then  therefore  he  delivered  him  to  them  to  be  crucified. 
John  xix.  12-16.     Revised,  with  Margiuals  aud  other  authorities. 

*'We  Have  No  King  but  Caesar  I** 

There  was  little  more  to  do.  The  mind  of  Pilate  was  very  sav- 
age and  his  heart  very  sore.  He  had  been  beaten  and  humiliated ; 
and  he  would  gladly  inflict  some  humiliation  on  his  opponents,  if 
he  could  find  a  way.  He  ascended  the  judgment-seat,  "in  a  place 
that  is  called  the  Pavement,  but  in  the  Hebrew,  Gabbatha"— an 
act  similar  in  significance,  I  suppose,  with  our  judges'  habit,  be- 
fore pronouncing  a  death  sentence,  of  putting  on  the  black  cap. 
Pointing  to  Jesus,  he  exclaimed,  "  Behold  your  King  !  "  It  was 
as  much  as  to  say  that  he  believed  this  really  to  be  their  Messiah 
— this  poor,  bleeding,  mishandled  Man.  He  was  trying  to  cut 
them  with  a  taunt.  And  he  succeeded  :  smarting  with  pain  they 
shouted,  "Away  with  Him!  away  with  Him!  crucify  Him!" 
"What,"  he  proceeded,  "shall  I  crucify  your  King?"  aud, 
borne  away  with  fury,  they  responded,  "  We  have  no  king  but 
Csesar. " 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  112. 

**  The  Intermediate  Death  ** 

The  Evangelists  have  passed  as  rapidly  as  possible  over  the  last 
scenes  of  indignity  aud  horror,  and  we  are  too  thankful  to  follow 
their  example.  Bar- Abbas  was  at  once  released.  Jesus  was 
handed  over  to  the  soldiery  to  be  scourged  and  crucified,  although 
final  and  formal  judgment  had  not  yet  been  pronounced. 

Indeed,  Pilate  seems  to  have  hoped  that  the  horrors  of  the 
scourging  might  still  move  the  people  to  desist  from  the  ferocious 
cry  for  the  cross.  For  the  same  reason  we  may  also  hope,  that 
the  scourging  was  not  inflicted  with  the  same  ferocity  as  in  the 


474      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

case  of  Christian  martyrs,  wlieu,  with  the  object  of  eliciting  the 
incrimination  of  others,  or  else  recantation,  the  scourge  of  leather 
thougs  was  loaded  with  lead,  or  armed  with  spikes  and  bones, 
■which  lacerated  back,  and  chest,  and  face,  till  the  victim  some- 
times fell  down  before  the  judge  a  bleeding  mass  of  torn  flesh. 
But,  however  modified,  and  without  repeating  the  harrowing 
realism  of  a  Cicero,  scourging  was  the  terrible  introduction  to 
crucifixion — "the  intermediate  death." 

Stripped  of  His  clothes,  His  hands  tied  and  back  bent,  the 
Victim  would  be  bound  to  a  column  or  stake,  in  front  of  the  Prse- 
torium.  The  scourging  ended,  the  soldiery  would  hastily  cast 
upon  Him  His  upper  garments,  and  lead  Him  back  to  the  PrjB- 
torium.  Here  they  called  the  whole  cohort  together,  and  the 
silent,  faint  Sufferer  became  the  object  of  their  ribald  jesting. 
From  His  bleeding  body  they  tore  the  clothes,  and  in  mockery 
arrayed  Him  in  scarlet  or  purple.  For  crown  they  wound  together 
thorns,  and  for  scepter  they  placed  in  His  hand  a  reed.  Then 
alternately,  in  mock  i^roclamation  they  hailed  Him  King,  or  wor- 
shiped Him  as  God,  and  smote  Him  or  heajied  on  Him  other 
indignities. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  ilessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.D.,  Ph.D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  579. 

From  Indignity  to  Indignity 

To  Annas,  to  Caiaphas,  to  Pilate,  to  Herod,  and  again  to  Pilate  ; 
from  indignity  to  indignity,  from  torture  to  torture,  had  He  been 
hurried  all  that  livelong  night,  all  that  morning.  All  throughout 
He  had  borne  Himself  with  a  divine  majesty,  which  had  awak- 
ened alike  the  deeper  feelings  of  Pilate  and  the  infuriated  hatred 
of  the  Jews.  But  if  His  divinity  gave  its  meaning  to  His  human- 
ity, that  humanity  gave  its  true  meaning  to  His  voluntary  sacri- 
fice. So  far,  then,  from  seeking  to  hide  its  manifestations,  the 
Evangelists,  not  indeed  needlessly  but  unhesitatingly,  put  them 
forward.  Unrefreshed  by  food  or  sleep,  after  the  terrible  events 
of  that  night  and  morning,  while  His  pallid  face  bore  the  blood- 
marks  from  the  crown  of  thorns,  His  mangled  body  was  unable  to 
bear  the  weight  of  the  cross. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxou., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  586. 


SUFFERED  UNDER  PONTIUS  PILATE 


47:) 


So  Solemn  That  the  Very  Hour  Is  Given 
He  [Pilate]  sat  down  ouce  more  in  the  judgment-seat,  outside 
the  Pi'fBtorium,  in  the  place  called  "Pavement,"  and,  from  its 
outlook  over  the  City,  "  Gabbatha,"  "The  rounded  height."  So 
solemn  is  the  transaction  that  the  Evangelist  pauses  to  note  once 
more  the  day — nay,  the  veiy  hour,  when  the  process  had  com- 
menced. It  had  been  the  Friday  in  Passover  week,  and  between 
six  and  seven  of  the  morning.  And  at  the  close  Pilate  ouce  more 
in  mockery  presented  to  them  Jesus:  "Behold  your  King!" 
Ouce  more  they  called  for  His  crucifixion — aud,  when  again 
challenged,  the  chief  priests  burst  into  the  cry,  which  preceded 
Pilate's  final  sentence,  to  be  presently  executed  :  "  We  have  no 
king  but  Caesar  !  " 

With  this  cry  Judaism  was,  in  the  person  of  its  representatives, 
guilty  of  denial  of  God,  of  blasphemy,  of  apostasy.  It  com- 
mitted suicide ;  and,  ever  since,  has  its  dead  body  been  carried 
in  show  from  land  to  laud,  and  from  century  to  century  :  to  be 
dead,  aud  to  remain  dead,  till  He  come  a  second  time,  who  is  the 
Eesurrection  and  the  Life  ! 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  (he  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersbeim,  M.  A.  Oxon,, 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  580. 


From  Peloubet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  for  igot,  p.  96. 


XXXV 

THERE  THEY  CRUCIFIED  HIM 

Did  e'er  such  love  aud  sorrow  meet  ? 

—Dr.  Watts. 

**  Go,  Soldier,  Get  Ready  the  Cross ! " 

.  .  .  "Go,  soldier,  get  ready  the  cross!"  lu  some  such 
formula  of  terrible  import  Pilate  must  have  giveu  his  fiual  order. 
It  was  uow  probably  about  uiue  o'clock,  aud  the  executiou  followed 
immediately  upou  the  judgmeut.  The  time  required  for  uecessary 
preparation  would  not  be  mauy  miuutes,  aud  during  this  brief 
pause  the  soldiers,  whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  sentence  was 
carried  out,  stripped  Jesus  of  the  scarlet  war-cloak,  uow  dyed 
with  the  yet  deeper  stains  of  blood,  and  clad  Him  again  in  His 
owu  garments.  When  the  cross  had  been  prepared  they  laid  it — 
or  possibly  only  one  of  the  beams  of  it — upou  His  shoulders,  and 
led  Him  to  the  place  of  punishment. 

The  nearness  of  the  great  feast,  the  myriads  who  were  present 
in  Jerusalem,  made  it  desirable  to  seize  the  opportunity  for  strik- 
ing terror  into  all  Jewish  malefactors.  Two  were  therefore 
selected  for  execution  at  the  same  time  with  Jesus — two  brigauds 
and  rebels  of  the  lowest  stamp.  Their  crosses  were  laid  upon 
them,  a  maniple  of  soldiers  in  full  armour  were  marshaled  under 
the  command  of  their  centurion,  aud,  amid  thousands  of  spec- 
tators, coldly  inquisitive  or  furiously  hostile,  the  procession 
started  on  its  way. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  392. 

Hwrried  Straight  from  the  Judgment  Seat 

Persons  coudemned  to  death  in  modern  times  are  allowed  a 
few  weeks,  or  at  least  days,  to  prepare  for  eternity ;  but  Jesus 
was  crucified  the  same  day  on  which  He  was  condemned.  There 
was  a  merciful  law  of  Rome  in  existence  at  the  time,  ordaining 
that  ten  days  should  intervene  between  the  passing  of  a  capital 
sentence  and  its  executiou  ;  but  either  this  was  not  intended  for 

476 


THERE  THEY  CKUCIFIED  HIM  4T7 

use  iu  the  provinces  or  Jesus  was  judged  to  be  outside  the  scope 
of  its  mercy,  because  lie  Lad  made  Himself  a  king.     At  all 
eveuts  He  was  hurried  straight  from  the  judgment-seat  to  the  place 
of  execution,  without  opportunity  for  preparation  or  farewells. 
The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  130. 

The  Cross  Too  Horrible  for  a  Roman  Even  to  Think  of 

Death  by  the  cross  was  the  most  terrible  and  the  most  dreaded 
and  shameful  punishment  of  antiquity — a  punishment,  the  very 
name  of  which,  Cicero  tells  us,  should  never  come  near  the 
thoughts,  the  eyes,  or  ears,  of  a  Roman  citizen,  far  less  his 
person.  It  was  of  Eastern  origin,  and  had  been  in  use  among 
the  Persians  and  Carthaginians,  long  before  its  employment  in 
western  countries. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  525, 

The  Terrible  Preparations 

The  terrible  preparations  were  soon  made  :  the  hammer,  the 
nails,  the  cross,  the  very  food  for  the  soldiers  who  were  to  watch 
under  each  cross.  Four  soldiers  would  be  detailed  for  each  cross, 
the  whole  beiug  under  the  command  of  a  centurion.  As  always, 
the  cross  was  borne  to  the  execution  by  Him  who  was  to  suffer  on 
it — perhaps  His  arms  bound  to  it  with  cords :  But  there  is 
happily  no  evidence — rather,  every  indication  to  the  contrary — 
that,  according  to  ancient  custom,  the  neck  of  the  Sufferer  was 
fastened  within  the  .  two  horizontal  pieces  of  wood,  fastened 
at  the  end,  to  which  the  hands  were  bound. 

Ordinarily,  the  procession  was  headed  by  the  centurion,  or 
rather,  j)receded  by  one  who  proclaimed  the  nature  of  the  crime, 
and  carried  a  white,  wooden  board,  on  which  it  was  written. 
Commonly,  also,  it  took  the  longest  road  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion, and  through  the  most  crowded  streets,  so  as  to  attract  most 
public  attention.  But  we  would  suggest,  that  alike  this  long 
circuit  and  the  proclamation  of  the  herald  were,  in  the  present 
instance,  dispensed  with.  They  are  not  hinted  at  in  the  text, 
and  seem  incongruous  to  the  festive  season,  and  the  other  circum- 
stances of  the  history. 

The  Life  jand  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  U,  p.  S82. 


478      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Led  oat  to  Die 

And  he  loent  out,  hearing  the  cross  for  himself,  to  the  place  called 
the  place  of  a  skull,  which  is  called  in  Hebreto,  Golgotha. — John 
xix.  17,  18. 

And  when  they  led  him  away,  they  laid  hold 
upon  one  Simon  of  Cyrene,  coming  from  the 
country,  and  laid  on  him  the  cross,  to  bear 
it  after  Jesus. 

Luke  xxiii.  26.     Revised  Version. 


From  Peloubet's  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  for  i  goi  ,p.  98. 


The  Revolting  Task  of  Simon  of  Cyrene 

One  or  two  of  the  soldiers  might  have  relieved  Him  ;  but, 
in  the  spirit  of  horseplay  and  mischief  which  had  character- 
ised their  part  of  the  proceedings  from  the  moment  when 
Christ  fell  into  their  hands,  they  laid  hold  of  a  casual 
passer-by  and  requisitioned  his  services  for  the  purpose.  He 
was  coming  in  from  the  region  beyond  the  gate  as  they  were 
going  out,  and  they  acted  under  the  sanction  of  military  law  or 
custom. 

To  the  man  it  must  have  been  an  extreme  annoyance  and  in- 
dignity. Doubtless  he  was  bent  on  business  of  his  own,  which 
had  to  be  deferred.  His  family  or  his  friends  might  be  waiting 
for  him,  but  he  was  turned  the  opposite  way.  To  touch  the  in- 
strument of  death  was  as  revolting  to  him  as  it  would  be  to  us  to 
handle  the  hangman's  rope ;  perhaps  more  so,  becanse  it  was 
Passover  time,  and  this  would  make  him  ceremonially  unclean. 
It  was  a  jest  of  the  soldiers,  and  he  was  their  laughing  stock.  As 
he  walked  by  the  side  of  the  robbers,  it  looked  as  if  he  were  on 
the  way  to  execution  himself. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  136. 

**  Daughters  of  Jertisalem,  Weep  Not  for  Me !  ** 

And  there  followed  him  a  great  multitude  of  the  people,  and 
of  women  who  bewailed  and  lamented  him. 


THERE  THEY  CRUCIFIED  HIM  479 

But  Jesus,  turning  uuto  them,  said,  Daughters  of  Jerusalem, 
weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  yourselves  and  for  your 
children.  For  behold  the  days  are  coming  iu  which  they  shall 
say,  Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that  never  bore, 
and  the  breasts  that  never  gave  suck.  Then  shall  they  begin 
to  say  to  the  mountains.  Fall  on  us ;  and  to  the  hills. 
Cover  us. 

For  if  they  do  these  things  in  the  green  tree,  what  shall  be 
done  in  the  dry  ? 

And  there  were  also  two  others,  malefactors,  led  with  him  to 
be  put  to  death. 

Lrike  xxiii.  27-32.     Revised  Version. 

Far  Different  His  Tears  from  Theirs 

.  .  The  women  who  had  followed  with  the  populace  closed 
around  the  Sufferer,  raising  their  lamentations.  At  His  entrance 
into  Jerusalem,  Jesus  had  wept  over  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem  ; 
as  He  left  it  for  the  last  time  they  wept  over  Him.  But  far  dif- 
ferent were  the  reasons  for  His  tears  from  theirs  of  mere  pity. 
And,  if  proof  were  required  of  His  divine  strength,  even  in  the 
utmost  depth  of  His  human  weakness — how,  conquered,  He 
was  conqueror — it  would  surely  be  found  in  the  words  iu 
which  He  bade  them  turn  their  thoughts  of  pity  where  pity 
would  be  called  for,  even  to  themselves  and  their  children 
in  the  near  judgment  upon  Jerusalem.  The  time  would  come, 
when  the  Old  Testament  curse  of  barrenness  would  be  coveted  as 
a  blessing.     .     . 

But  how  often,  these  many  centuries,  must  Israel's  women  have 
felt  that  terrible  longing  for  childlessness  and  how  often  must  the 
praj'er  of  despair  for  the  quick  death  of  falling  mountains  and 
burying  hills  rather  than  prolonged  torture  have  risen  to  the  lips 
of  Israel's  sufferers !  And  yet,  even  so,  these  words  were  also 
prophetic  of  a  still  more  terrible  future  !  For,  if  Israel  had  put 
such  flame  to  its  "green  tree"  how  terribly  would  the  divine 
judgment  burn  among  the  dry  wood  of  an  apostate  and  rebellious 
people,  that  had  so  delivered  up  its  divine  King,  and  pronounced 
sentence  upon  itself  by  pronouncing  it  upon  Him  ! 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxou., 
D.D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  588. 


480       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

**  What  I  Have  Written  I  Have  Written  ** 
Aud  Pilate  wrote  a  title  also,  aud  put  it  on  the  cross.     And 
there  was  written, 


JESUS   OF  NAZARETH  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS 


This  title  therefore  many  of  the  Jews  read  :  for  the  place  of  the 
city  where  Jesus  was  crucified  was  near  at  hand  :  and  it  was 
written  in  Hebrew,  and  in  Latin,  and  in  Greek. 

The  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  therefore  said  to  Pilate,  Write  not, 
The  King  of  the  Jews ;  but,  that  he  said,  I  am  the  King  of  the 
Jews! 

Pilate  answered.  What  I  have  written  I  have  written. 
John  xix.  19-22.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

This  Is  What  Would  Become  of  a  Jewish  King ! 

Pilate  made  use  of  this  opportunity  to  pay  out  the  Jews  for  the 
annoyance  they  had  caused  him.  He  had  parted  from  them  in 
anger,  for  they  had  humiliated  him  ;  but  he  sent  after  them  that 
which  should  be  a  drop  of  bitterness  in  their  c^ip  of  triumph. 

When  they  were  still  at  his  judgment-seat,  his  last  blow  in  his 
encounter  with  them  had  been  to  pretend  to  be  convinced  that 
Jesus  really  was  their  king.  This  insult  he  now  prolonged  by 
wording  the  inscription  thus:  ''This  is  Jesus,  the  King  of  the 
Jews."  It  was  as  much  as  to  say.  This  is  what  becomes  of  a 
Jewish  king  ;  this  is  what  the  Romans  do  with  him  ;  the  king  of 
this  nation  is  a  slave,  a  crucified  criminal ;  and,  if  such  be  the 
king,  what  must  the  nation  be  whose  king  he  is"? 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Chi-ist,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  170, 

Nothing  Could  Be  More  Unjust  Than  This  Title 
The  title  "King  of  the  Jews,"  which  Jesus  had  never  taken 
upon  himself,  but  which  his  enemies  represented  as  the  sum  and 
substance  of  his  acts  and  pretensions,  was  naturally  the  best 
ground  on  which  they  might  excite  the  jealousy  of  the  Roman 
power.  He  was  accused  of  sedition,  as  being  guilty  of  treason 
against  the  State.  Nothing  could  be  more  unjust,  for  Jesus  had 
always  recognised  the  Roman  empire  as  the  established  power ; 
but  conservative  religious  parties  are  not  wont  to  shrink  from 
calumny. 


THERE  THEY  CRUCIFIED  HIM  481 

In  spite  of  him  they  drew  all  sorts  of  couclusioDS  from  his 
teaching  :  they  made  him  out  to  be  a  disciple  of  Judas  the  Gaul- 
onite ;  they  asserted  that  he  forbade  the  payment  of  tribute  to 
Coesar.  Pilate  asked  him  if  he  was  really  the  King  of  the  Jews. 
Jesus  disguised  nothing  of  his  thought ;  but  the  great  ambiguity  of 
speech  which  had  been  the  source  of  his  strength,  and  which  after 
his  death  was  to  establish  his  kingship,  was  his  destruction  now. 

The  Life  of  Jesus,  Ernest  Reuau,  p.  378. 

Forced  by  the  Sneering  Inscription  to  Go  on  with  the  Crowd 

We  suppose  that,  after  the  condemnation  of  Jesus,  the  Sanhe- 
drists  had  gone  from  the  Praetorium  into  the  Temple,  to  take  part 
in  its  services.  When  informed  of  the  offensive  tablet,  they  has- 
tened once  more  to  the  Prfetorium,  to  induce  Pilate  not  to  allow  it 
to  be  put  up.  This  explains  the  inversion  in  the  order  of  the 
account  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  or  rather,  its  location  in  that 
narrative  in  immediate  connection  with  the  notice,  that  the  San- 
hedrists  were  afraid  the  Jews  who  passed  by  might  be  influenced 
by  the  inscription. 

We  imagine  that  the  Sanhedrists  had  originally  no  intention 
of  doing  anything  so  un-Jewish  as  not  only  to  gaze  at  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  Crucified,  but  to  even  deride  Him  in  His  agony — that, 
in  fact,  they  had  not  intended  going  to  Golgotha  at  all. 

But  when  they  found  that  Pilate  would  not  yield  to  their  re- 
monstrances, some  of  them  hastened  to  the  place  of  crucifixion, 
and,  mingling  with  the  crowd,  sought  to  incite  their  jeers,  so  as 
to  prevent  any  deeper  impression  which  the  significant  words  of 
the  inscription  might  have  produced. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesiis  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  591. 

The  Centurion  Gave  the  Fatal  Signal 

Just  then  .  .  .  the  centurion  [gave]  the  fatal  signal.  [He] 
had  in  truth  purposely  delayed  this  act  till  the  last  possible  mo- 
ment, and  now,  when  he  was  finally  compelled  to  lift  his  gaunt- 
leted  hand  in  sign  that  the  terrible  work  of  torture  should 
commence,  he  caught,  for  the  further  inward  distress  and  remorse 
of  his  mind,  a  sudden  look  from  the  patient,  upturned  divine 
eyes.     .     .     [He]    could    not    bear   those   eyes — their    lustrous 


4S2      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

purity  aud  courage  were  too  much  for  Lis  composure, — and 
trembling  from  head  to  foot  with  an  almost  womauish  nervous 
ness  he  abruptly  turned  away. 

The  murmuring  noise  of  the  vast  expectant  multitude  died  off 
gradually  like  the  retreating  surge  of  a  distant  sea, — a  profound 
silence  reigned, — and  the  hot  movelessness  of  the  air  grew  more 
aud  more  weightily  intensified.  The  executioners  having  received 
their  commands,  and  overcoming  their  momentary  hesitation, 
gathered  in  a  rough  half-nude  group  around  the  cross  whereon 
lay  unresistingly  the  Wonder  of  the  Ages,  and  knelt  to  their 
hideous  task,  their  muscular  browu  arms,  grimy  with  dust  and 
stained  already  with  splashes  of  blood  from  the  crucifying  of  the 
two  thieves,  contrasting  strangely  with  the  dazzling  whiteness  of 
the  Figure  before  them. 

They  paused  a  moment,  holding  the  huge  long-pointed  nails 
aloft.  .  .  .  Would  this  Man  of  Nazareth  struggle  *?  Would 
it  be  needful  to  rope  His  limbs  to  the  wooden  beams  as  they  had 
done  to  the  other  two  condemned?  With  the  fierce  scrutiny  of 
those  accustomed  to  signs  of  rebellion  in  the  tortured,  they  studied 

their  passive  Captive Not  a  quiver  stirred  the  firmly 

composed  limbs.  .  .  Without  further  parley  they  commenced 
their  work,  .  .  .  and  the  startled  earth,  affrighted,  groaned 
aloud  in  cavernous  echoes  as  the  cruel  hammers  heavily  rose  and 
fell,  clanging  out  the  tocsin  of  a  God's  death  and  a  world's  re- 
demption. 

Barabbas,  A  Dream  cf  the  World's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p,  101, 

**  Father,  Forgive  Them,  for  They  Know  Not  "What  They  Do !  ** 
And  Jesus  said,  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  Tcnow  not  what  they 

do. — Luke  xxiii.  34. 

They  gave  him  wine  to  drink  mingled  with  gall  :  and  when  he 

had  tasted  it,  he  would  not  drink  it. 

And  when  they  had  crucified   him,   they 

parted  his  garments  among  them,  casting  lots: 

aud  they  sat  and  watched  him  there. 
Matthew  xxvii.  34-36.     Eevised  Version. 


From  Pehubct's  Notes  oh  the  International 
Ltssons/or  1901,  p.  100. 


THERE  THEY  CRUCIFIED  HIM  483 

Refusing  the  Drink 

It  was  a  simple  act,  yet  full  of  heroism.  He  was  iu  that  ex- 
tremity of  thirst  when  a  person  will  drink  almost  anything  ;  and 
He  was  face  to  face  with  outrageous  torture.  In  subsequent  times 
many  of  His  own  faithful  martyrs,  on  their  way  to  execution, 
gladly  availed  themselves  of  this  merciful  provision.  But  he 
would  not  allow  His  intellect  to  be  clouded.  His  obedience  was 
not  yet  complete  ;  His  plan  was  not  fully  wrought  out ;  He  would 
keep  his  taste  for  death  pure. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  160. 

Fastened  to  the  Torture-Tiree 

A  dreadful  hush  of  horror  reigned.  The  stirless  heat  of  the 
atmosphere  felt  as  heavy  to  the  senses  as  an  overhanging  solid 
mass  of  burning  iron.  The  forces  of  nature  seemed  paralyzed,  as 
though  some  sudden  shock  had  been  dealt  at  the  core  of  life,  or 
as  though  the  rolliug  world  had  paused,  palpitating  for  breath  in 
its  pacing  round  the  sun. 

Not  a  sound  broke  the  oppressive  stillness  save  the  dull 
reverberation  of  the  hammers  at  their  deadly  business, — for  the 
vast  human  multitude  stood  dumb,  sullenly  watching  the  work- 
ing of  their  will,  yet  moved  by  a  vague  remorse  and  an  equally 
vague  terror.  Not  one  among  them  would  have  dared  to  suggest 
at  this  late  hour  any  mercy  for  the  Victim  ;  they,  the  peojile,  had 
desired  this  thing,  and  their  desire  was  being  accomplished.  All 
being  carried  out  as  they  wished,  they  could  not  well  complain, 
nor  could  they  recall  their  own  decision. 

But  there  was  something  unnatural  and  ghastly  in  the  scene, — 
a  chill  sense  of  nameless  desolation  began  to  creep  upon  the  air, 
— and  while  each  man  and  woman  present  strained  both  body  and 
sight  to  see  the  fine  fair  limbs  of  the  Galilean  pierced  through  and 
fastened  to  the  torture- tree,  they  were  all  conscious  of  fear ;  fear 
of  what  or  of  whom,  none  could  have  truly  told, — nevertheless 
fear  dominated  and  daunted  the  spirits  of  every  one.  And  it  was 
this  unconfessed,  inexplicable  alarm  that  kept  them  silent, — so 
that  not  even  a  whispered  "Alas!"  escaped  from  any  pitying 
voice  when  the  beautifully  arched,  delicate  feet  of  the  Divine 
Sufferer  were  roughly  seized,  crossed  over  and  held  iu  position 


484      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

by  one  executioner,  while  another  placed  the  nail  in  the  nerve- 
centres  of  the  tender  flesh. 

A  third  callous  ruffian  dealt  the  measured  blows  which  drove 
in  the  thick,  sharp,  iron  prong  with  a  slow  force  calculated  to 
double  and  treble  the  exquisite  agony  of  lingering  martyrdom, — 
and  swiftly  the  hurt  veins  rebelled  against  their  wrong  in  burst- 
ing jets  of  innocent  blood.  The  crimson  stain  welled  up  and 
made  a  piteous  rose  on  the  torn  skin's  whiteness,  but  He  who  was 
thus  wounded,  stirred  not  at  all,  nor  uttered  a  cry.  His  human 
flesh  mutely  complained  of  human  injustice  in  those  reproachful 
red  life-drops  ;  but  the  indomitable  Spirit  that  dwelt  within  that 
flesh  made  light  of  merely  mortal  torment,  and  was  already  seiz- 
ing Death  in  the  grasp  of  victory. 

Barabbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  102. 

A  General  Forward  Movement  to  See  the  Cross  Set  «p 
The  executioners  having  finished  the  first  part  of  their  task, 
now  beckoned  the  centurion  to  step  forward  and  see  for  himself 
that  the  nails  in  the  Victim's  body  were  secure,  so  that  he  might 
be  able  to  certify  to  the  authorities  that  the  law  had  been  ade- 
quately fulfilled.  With  a  sickening  heart,  [the  centurion]  obeyed 
the  signal.  But  his  sight  was  dazzled,  — his  brain  reeled — there  was 
a  choking  dryness  in  his  throat,  and  he  could  not  speak  a  word. 

Yet  this  time  the  Man  of  Sorrows  never  looked  at  him, — the 
divine  orbs  of  light  and  genius  were  turned  to  heaven  alone,  as 
though  absorbing  the  fiery  glory  of  the  sun.  And,  was  it  fancy 
or  some  delusion  of  his  own  sense  of  vision  that  suddenly  gave 
him  the  impression  of  an  approaching  darkness  in  the  sky? — as 
if  indeed  the  sun  were  losing  luster?  He  rubbed  his  eyes  and 
gazed  dubiously  about, — surely  a  mysterious  shadow  as  of  out- 
spread wings  rested  on  the  landscape !  Were  the  people, — were 
the  soldiers  conscious  of  this  ? 

Apparently  not.  Their  attention  was  concentrated  on  the  work 
of  death — and  there  was  a  general  eager  forward  movement  of  the 
crowd  to  see  the  cross  set  up.  As  [the  centurion]  dazed  and  be- 
wildered, stepped  back,  the  executioners,  six  in  all,  men  of  sinewy 
and  powerful  build,  bent  themselves  energetically  to  the  com- 
pletion of  their  work. 

Barabbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  104. 


THERE  THEY  CRUCIFIED  HIM  485 

The  Great  Cross  with  Love  Transfixed  «pon  It 
The  great  cross,  with  the  greatest  Love  trausfixed  upon  it,  was 
thrust  iuto  the  deep  socket  dug  for  its  reception  on  the  summit  of 
the  hill.  It  fell  with  a  thudding  reverberation  as  though  its  end 
had  struck  the  very  centre  of  the  earth, — and  trembling  to  and 
fro  for  a  few  seconds  like  a  tree  shaken  by  a  storm-wind,  was  soon 
perfectly  still,  fixed  steadily  upright  between  the  two  already 
crucified  thieves,  who  though  dying  fast,  were  not  already  dead. 
Salvation's  Symbol  stood  declared  ! — and  Simon  of  Cyrene,  hav- 
ing done  all  he  was  needed  to  do,  retreated  slowly  with  faltering 
steps  and  swimming  brain,  conscious  only  of  one  thing, — that  the 
blood  of  the  Victim  had  stained  his  breast,  and  that  the  stain 
seemed  to  burn  his  flesh  like  fire.     .     .     . 

And  now  the  cross  being  openly  set  up,  and  the  slow  devour- 
ings  of  death  having  commenced  upon  the  sinless  Sacrifice,  a  long 
wild  shout  of  savage  exultation  arose  from  the  multitude, — a  shout 
that  rang  in  harsh,  hoarse  echoes  over  the  hill,  through  the  low- 
lying  gardens  beyond,  and  away  as  it  seemed  to  the  summit  of 
Mount  Moriah,  where  over  Solomon's  glistening  Temple,  a  cloud 
as  of  dust  or  smoke,  hung  like  a  warning  of  storm  and  fire.  And 
the  barbaric  human  clamour,  as  it  mutteringly  died  away,  was  sud- 
denly taken  up  and  all  unexpectedly  answered  by  a  greater  up- 
roar,— a  deep,  threatening  boom  of  far-off  thunder. 

Barabhas,  A  Dream  of  the  World^s  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  105. 

The  Nail  That  Held  Him  op 

Thiuk  ye,  sin  nailed  him  to  that  cross?  — 

For  sin  the  hammer  swung, 
Sin  lifted  up  the  cruel  tree 

On  whose  broad  arms  he  hung, 
Sin  triumphed,  when  from  anguished  lips 

His  bitter  cry  was  wrung  ? 

So  seemed  it.     But  not  sin,  nor  men, 

Nor  nails  had  held  him  there  ; 
Love  was  the  nail  that  held  him  up 

And  made  him  strong  to  bear 
For  us  that  weary  weight  of  woe — 

That  tempest  of  despair. 

Echoes  a!nd  Pictures  from  the  Life  of  Christ,  Richard  H.  Thomas,  M.  D.,  p.  64. 


486      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Taunts  in  the  Midst  of  Torture 

And  they  that  passed  by  railed  at  him,  wagging  their  heads  aud 
saying,  Thou  that  destroyest  the  temple  and  buildest  it  in  three 
days,  save  thyself. 

If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross. 

In  like  manner  also  the  chief  priests  mocking  him,  with  the 
scribes  and  elders,  said, 

He  saved  others,  can  he  not  save  himself? 

He  is  the  King  of  Israel ;  let  him  now  come  down  from  the 
cross,  and  we  will  believe  on  him. 

He  trusted  iu  God  ;  let  him  deliver  him  now,  if  he  desires  him  ! 
For  he  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God. 

Aud  the  robbers  also  that  were  crucified  with  him  cast  upon 
him  the  same  reproach. 

Matthew  xxvii.  39-44.     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Multitude  Roared  Applause  and  Laughter 
Wide  rays  of  light  tinged  with  a  singular  redness  like  that  of 
an  out-breaking  volcano,  blazed  forth  brilliantly  over  the  hill. 
Cheered  by  the  spleudour,  the  people  threw  off,  in  part,  their  vague 
terrors,— their  faces  brightened, — and  Caiaphas,  profiting  by  his 
opportunity,  stepped  out  in  full  view  of  the  crowd,  and  advanced 
majestically  towards  the  cross  from  which  the  "  King  of  the  Jews" 
looked  down  upon  him.  Lifting  his  hand  to  shade  his  eyes  from  the 
crimson  glare  which  haloed  with  a  burning  ring  the  outstretched, 
patient  Figure,  he  exclaimed  iu  clear,  loud  accents — "Thou  that 
destroyest  the  temple  and  buildest  it  in  three  days,  save  thyself 
and  come  down  from  the  cross  ! " 

The  multitude  heard,  and  roared  applause  and  laughter.  Even 
the  grim  soldiers  smiled — for,  thought  thej'^.  If  the  Man  of  Galilee 
were  a  true  miracle- worker.  He  could  never  have  a  better  oppor- 
tunity for  displaying  His  powers  than  now. 

Caiaphas  smiled  proudly, — he  had  struck  the  right  note,  and 
had  distracted  the  attention  of  the  mob  from  their  personal  alarms 
of  the  storm,  to  renewed  interest  iu  the  cruelty  that  was  being  en- 
acted. Still  standing  before  the  cross,  he  studied  with  placid  piti- 
lessness  every  outline  of  the  perfect  Human  shape  iu  which  the 
divine  glory  was  concealed, — and  watched  with  the  scieutifie  in- 
terest of  a  merciless  torturer  the  gradual  welling  up  and  slow 


THERE  THEY  CRUCIFIED  HIM  487 

dropping  of  blood  from  the  wounded  hands  and  feet, — the  pained, 
patient  struggling  of  the  quickened  breath, — the  pale,  parted  lips, 
— the  wearily-drooping,  half-closed  eyes. 

Annas,  sleek  and  sly,  with  an  air  of  hypocritical  forbearance 
and  compassion,  approached,  also,  and  looked  up  at  the  same 
piteous  spectacle.  Then,  rubbing  his  hands  gently  together,  he 
said  softly,  yet  distinctly, — 

"  He  saved  others, — himself  he  cannot  save  !  If  he  be  the  King 
of  Israel,  let  him  now  come  down  from  the  cross  and  we  will  be- 
lieve him  I " 

Barabbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World^s  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  108. 

"Wtiy  Did  He  Not  Reprove  Them? 

But  amid  this  chorus  of  infamy  Jesus  spoke  not.  He  couldhaye 
spoken.  The  pains  of  crucifixion  did  not  confuse  the  intellect, 
or  paralyze  the  powers  of  speech.  We  read  of  crucified  men  who, 
for  hours  together  upon  the  cross,  vented  their  sorrow,  their  rage, 
or  their  despair  in  the  manner  that  best  accorded  with  their  char- 
acter ;  of  some  who  raved  and  cursed,  and  spat  at  their  enemies ; 
of  others  who  protested  to  the  last  against  the  iniquity  of  their 
sentence  ;  of  others  who  implored  compassion  with  abject  entreat- 
ies ;  of  one  even  who,  from  the  cross,  as  from  a  tribunal,  harangued 
the  multitude  of  his  countrymen,  and  upbraided  them  with  their 
wickedness  and  vice.  But,  except  to  bless  and  to  encourage,  and 
to  add  to  the  happiness  and  hope  of  others,  Jesus  spoke  not.  So 
far  as  the  malice  of  the  passers-by,  and  of  priests  and  Sauhedrists, 
and  soldiers,  and  of  these  poor  robbers  who  suffered  with  Him, 
was  concerned — as  before  during  the  trial,  so  now  upon  the  cross 
— He  maintained  unbroken  His  kingly  silence. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W,  Farrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  409. 

The  Motive  of  Their  Derision 

The  derision  of  the  Sauhedrists  under  the  cross  was  .  .  . 
not  entirely  spontaneous,  but  had  a  special  motive.  The  place  of 
crucifixion  was  close  to  the  great  road  which  led  from  the  north 
to  Jerusalem.  On  that  feast  day,  when,  as  there  was  no  law  to 
limit,  as  on  the  weekly  day  of  rest,  locomotion  to  a  "Sabbath 
day's  journey,"  many  would  pass  in  and  out  of  the  city,  and  the 


488      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

crowd  would  naturally  be  arrested  by  the  spectacle  of  the  three 
crosses. 

Equally  naturally  would  they  have  been  impressed  by  the  [title] 
over  the  cross  of  Christ.  The  words,  describing  the  Sufferer  as 
"the  King  of  the  Jews,"  might,  when  taken  in  connection  with 
what  was  known  of  Jesus,  have  raised  most  dangerous  questions. 
And  this  the  presence  of  the  Sanhedrists  was  intended  to  prevent, 
by  turning  the  popular  mind  in  a  totally  different  direction.  It 
was  just  such  a  taunt  and  argumentation  as  would  appeal  to  that 
coarse  realism  of  the  common  people,  which  is  too  often  misnamed 
"common  sense." 

St.  Luke  significantly  ascribes  the  derision  of  Jesus  only  to  the 
rulers,  and  we  repeat,  that  that  of  the  passers-by,  recorded  by 
St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark,  was  excited  by  them.  Thus  here  also 
the  main  guilt  rested  on  the  leaders  of  the  people. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  3Iessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  597. 

Was  He  Tempted  on  the  Cross  ? 

Was  it  a  temptation  to  Him,  one  wonders,  when  so  often  from 
every  side  the  invitation  was  given  Him  to  come  down  from  the 
cross?  This  was  substantially  the  same  temptation  as  was  ad- 
dressed to  Him  at  the  opeuiug  of  His  career,  when  Satan  urged 
Him  to  cast  Himself  from  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple.  It  had 
haunted  Him  in  various  forms  all  His  life  through.  And  now  it 
assails  Him  once  more  at  the  crisis  of  His  fate. 

They  thought  His  patience  was  impotence  and  His  silence  a  con- 
fession of  defeat.  Why  should  He  not  let  His  glory  blaze  forth 
and  confound  them  ?  How  easily  He  could  have  done  it !  Yet 
no,  He  could  not.  They  were  quite  right  when  they  said,  "He 
saved  others.  Himself  He  cannot  save."  Had  He  saved  Himself, 
He  would  not  have  been  the  Saviour. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  179.    . 

He  Saw  Faces  of  Those  Who  Had  Believed  in  Him 
Beyond,  up  the  wooded  slopes  of  Olivet,  lay  unseen  Bethany. 
His  dimming  eye  wandered  over  the  crest  of  the  horizon  towards 
beautiful  Galilee  ;  there  came  upon  his  confused  senses  a  breath 
from  his  dear  lake,  seventy  miles  away. 


THERE  THEY  CRUCIFIED  HIM  489 

He  seemed,  for  a  moment,  to  be  preaching  in  his  own  boat. 
Some  sick  persons  were  brought  to  him,  on  the  shore,  and  a 
merciful  instinct  caused  him  to  move  his  hands,  as  if  he  would 
heal  the  sufferers. 

The  anguish  of  the  form  of  death  which  forbids  the  victim  even 
to  writhe  recalled  his  drifting  mind.  It  could  not  float  far,  for 
his  brain  was  strong  and  clear.  He  retained  throughout  his  tor- 
ment his  own  self-possession. 

He  looked  upon  the  people,  thinking  of  them  in  his  favorite 
word.  What  a  "multitude "  they  were  !  Had  they  all  come  out 
to  see  him  suffer!  It  would  have  been  something  if  they  had  not 
taunted  him  so  ! 

He  recognized  faces  among  them, — this  one  he  had  comforted 
in  a  great  sorrow  ;  that  one  he  had  cured  of  a  cruel  disease  ;  he 
identified  persons  whom  he  had  seen  often  in  his  audiences,  and 
who  had  believed  in  him  and  trusted  him.  He  saw  that  they 
were  classifying  him,  now,  with  the  common  felons  who  occupied 
the  crosses  at  his  right  hand  and  at  his  left. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  390. 

Gambling  for  the  Seamless  Garment 
The  soldiers  therefore,  when  they  had  crucified  Jesus,  took  his 

garments,  and  made  four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part ;  and  also 

the  tunic :  now  the  tunic  was  without  seam,  woven  from  the  top 

throughout. 
They  said  therefore  to  one  another,  Let  us  not  tear  it,  but 

draw  lots  for  it,  whose  it  shall  be :  that  the  scripture  might  be 

fulfilled  which  says. 

They  parted  my  garments  among  them, 
And  upon  my  vesture  did  they  cast  lots. 

These  things  therefore  the  soldiers  did. 

John  xix.  23,  24.     Revised  Version,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

Amttsement  and  Profit  to  the  Soldiers 
The  soldiers,  their  ghastly  task  over,  sat  down  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross  to  divide  their  booty. 

They  obtained  from  it  not  only  profit  but  amusement;   for, 


490       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

after  dividing  the  articles  as  well  as  they  could,  they  had  to  cast 
lots  about  the  last,  which  they  could  not  divide.  One  of  them 
fetched  some  dice  out  of  his  pocket — gambling  was  a  favourite 
pastime  of  Eomau  soldiers — and  they  settled  the  difficulty  by  a 
game. 

Look  at  them — chaffering,  chattering,  laughing ;  and,  above 
their  heads,  not  a  yard  away,  that  Figure.  What  a  picture  ! 
The  Son  of  God  atoning  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  whilst  angels 
and  glorified  spirits  crowd  the  walls  of  the  celestial  city  to  look 
down  at  the  spectacle  ;  and,  within  a  yard  of  His  sacred  Person, 
the  soldiers,  in  absolute  apathy,  gambling  for  these  poor  shreds  of 
clothing ! 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D,,  p.  175. 

The  **  Stations  "  of  the  Cross 
(As  Eepresented  in  Roman  Catholic  Churches  ) 

The  First :  Being  Sentenced  to  Death, 

The  Second :  Eeceiving  the  Cross. 

The  Third :  Sinking  under  the  Weight  of  the  Cross. 

The  Fourth :  Meeting  His  Mother. 

The  Fifth :  Placing  the  Cross  upon  Simon  of  Cyrene. 

The  Sixth :  Veronica  Wiping  His  Face  with  the  Veil. 

The  Seventh:  Falling  the  Second  Time. 

The  Eighth:  Speaking  to  the  "  Daughters  of  Jerusalem." 

The  Ninth :  Falling  the  Third  Time. 

The  Tenth :  Being  Stripped  of  His  Garments. 

The  Eleventh :  His  Crucifixion. 

The  Twelfth  :  His  Death. 

The  Thirteenth:  Taking  His  Body  down  from  the  Cross. 

The  Fourteenth :  His  Burial. 
W.  W. 


XXXVI 
EVEN  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS 

"  It  is  finished — Man  is  made  !  " 

— Tennyson. 

**  Att  Thou  the  Christ  ?     Save  Thyself  and  Us  !  ** 

And  one  of  the  malefactors  who  were  hanged  railed  at  him, 
saying,  Art  not  thou  the  Christ  *?    Save  thyself  and  us. 

But  the  other  answered,  and  rebuking  him  said.  Dost  thou  not 
even  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the  same  condemnation  ?  And 
we  indeed  justly ;  for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of  our  deeds : 
but  this  man  has  done  nothing  amiss. 

And  he  said,  Jesus,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  in  thy 
kingdom. 

And  he  said  to  him.  Verily  I  say  to  thee,  to-day  thou  shalt  be 
with  me  in  Paradise. 

Luke  xxiii.  39-43.     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

The  Repenting  Robber's  **  Remember  Me !  *' 

They  gazed  fearfully  at  the  Man  on  the  middle  cross.  He  was 
hanging  motionless,  his  head  sunken  upon  his  breast. 

The  man  on  the  cross  at  the  left  was  groaning  and  blaspheming 
horribly  ;  in  the  frightened  hush  his  words  could  be  distinctly 
heard.  He  was  cursing  the  Man  at  his  side.  "■  If  thou  be  the 
Christ,"  he  shrieked,  with  an  awful  imprecation,  "save  thyself 
and  us ! " 

He  who  hung  on  the  other  side  of  the  Nazarene  had  been  silent 
till  now,  save  for  his  piteous  sighing ;  but  now  he  spoke — the 
fierce  agony  had  cleared  his  brain  at  last. 

"  Wilt  thou  not  hold  thy  peace  !  "  he  cried  in  his  clear  young 
voice.     .     .     .     "Dost  thou  not  fear  God,  seeing  thou  art  in  the 

491 


492      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

same  coudemuatiou'?  And  we  indeed  justly  ;  for  we  receive  the 
due  reward  of  our  deeds.     But  he  is  innocent." 

Then  he  turned  his  dying  eyes  on  Jesus,  and  said  tremulously, 
beseechingly:  "Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy 
kingdom." 

And  into  the  face  of  Jesus,  blood-stained,  befouled,  and  ghastly 
with  the  pallor  of  approaching  death,  there  flashed  a  look  of 

joy.     .     . 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  thee," — and  his  voice  was  clear,  beautiful 
and  far-reaching  as  of  old — "to-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in 
Paradise." 

[The  man]  smiled  radiantly.  What  cared  he  now  for  the  pain, 
the  shame,  the  dying  ! 

"  To-day — with  him — in  Paradise  !  " 
TiUts,  a  Comrade  of  the  Cross,  Floreuce  M.  Kingsley,  p.  87. 

Did  John  Bring  Mary  for  the  Last  Mournful  Farewell  ? 

We  can  now  in  some  measure  realise  events.  When  St.  John 
had  seen  the  Saviour  nailed  to  the  cross,  he  had  gone  to  the  city 
and  brought  with  him  for  a  last  mournful  farewell  the  Virgin, 
accompanied  by  those  who,  as  most  nearly  connected  with  her, 
would  naturally  be  with  her  :  her  own  sister  Salome,  the  sister- 
in-law  of  Joseph  and  wife  (or  more  probably  widow)  of  Clopas, 
and  her  who  of  all  others  had  experienced  most  of  His  blessed 
power  to  save — Mary  of  Magdala. 

Once  more  we  reverentlj^  mark  His  divine  calm  of  utter  self- 
forgetfulness  and  His  human  thoughtfiilness  for  others.  As  they 
stood  under  the  cross,  He  committed  His  mother  to  the  disciple 
whom  He  loved,  and  established  a  new  human  relationship  be- 
tween him  and  who  was  nearest  to  Himself.  And  calmly, 
earnestly,  and  immediately  did  that  disciple  undertake  the 
sacred  charge,  and  bring  her — whose  soul  the  sword  had  pierced 
— away  from  the  scene  of  unutterable  woe  to  the  shelter  of  his 
home. 

And  this  temporary  absence  of  John  from  the  cross  may  ac- 
count for  the  want  of  all  detail  in  his  narrative  till  quite  the 
closing  scene. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  603. 


EVEN  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS  493 

♦* Behold  Thy  Son!**— "Behold  Thy  Mother  !" 

But  there  were  staudiug  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother,  aud 
his  mother's  sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Clopas,  aud  Mary  Mag- 
daleue. 

Wheu  Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  aud  the  disciple  staud- 
iug by,  whom  he  loved,  he  said  to  his  mother,  Womau,  behold 
thy  sou  ! 

Theu  said  he  to  the  disciple.  Behold  thy  mother  ! 

Aud  from  that  hour  the  disciple  took  her  to  his  owu  home. 

John  xix.  25-27.     Revised  Version,  etc. 

His  Words  Were  Few  but  Thowghtfwl 

Johu  was  the  ouly  oue  of  the  Twelve  who  braved  death  to  be 
preseut.  Jesus  the  uight  before  had  saved  all  their  lives  iu  the 
olive  orchard,  but  to-day  they  had  forsakeu  him. 

This  oue  faithful  comrade  he  drew  uearer  by  calliug  his  uame, 
aud  theu  he  spoke  also  to  his  mother.  The  words  were  few  and 
feeble,  but,  oh,  so  thoughtful. 

''Johu.     See!  your  mother. 

"Mother,  he  will  be  your  sou." 

Aud  as  long  as  she  lived,  Johu  took  care  of  her  for  Jesus. 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  William  Byrou  Forbush,  p.  254. 

Stood  the  Afflicted  Mother  Weeping 

(  "  Stabat  Slater  Dolorosa  ") 

[This  most  pathetic  of  all  poems  of  the  Middle  Ages  was  written 
iu  the  thirteenth  century  by  a  Franciscan  friar  of  Umbria,  Italy, 
named  Jacopone.] 

Stood  the  afflicted  mother  weeping, 
Near  the  cross  her  station  keeping 

Whereon  hung  her  Son  and  Lord  ; 
Through  whose  spirit  sympathising, 
Sorrowing  and  agonising, 

Also  passed  the  cruel  sword. 

Oh  !  how  mournful  and  distressM 
Was  that  favoured  aud  most  blessed 

Mother  of  the  only  Son  ; 
Trembling,  grieving,  bosom  heaving, 
While  perceiving,  scarce  believing, 

Pains  of  that  illustrious  Oue. 


494      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Who  the  man,  who,  called  a  brother, 
Would  not  weep,  saw  he  Christ's  mother 

In  such  deep  distress  and  wild? 
Who  could  not  sad  tribute  render 
Witnessing  that  mother  tender 

Agonising  with  her  child  ? 

Stabat  Mater  Dolorosa,  Translated  by   Abraham  Coles,   A  New  Library  of 
Poetry  and  Song,  Edited  by  William  Culleu  Bryant,  p.  355. 

A  Voice  Pulsating  with  the  Keenest  Anguish 

A  deep  sigh  broke  from  his  lips, — a  sigh  tliat  was  almost  a 
groau  ;  an  evil  man  himself,  what  right  had  he  to  judge  of  evil 
women  !  Jast  theu  the  Magdaleu  raised  her  tear-wet  eyes  and 
looked  at  him,  — her  luxuriant  hair  fell  about  her  like  a  golden 
veil, — her  mouth  quivered  as  though  she  were  about  to  speak, — 
but  as  she  met  his  sternly  meditative  gaze,  she  recoiled,  and  hid- 
ing her  face  in  the  folds  of  her  mantle,  dragged  herself  nearer  to 
the  foot  of  the  cross  and  crouched  there,  motionless.  And  the 
other  woman, — she  for  whom  .  .  .  the  welcome  light  had  been 
kindled  in  the  beginning, — what  of  her?  She  no  longer  stood 
erect  as  when  the  bells  had  rung, — she  had  fallen  once  more  upon 
her  knees,  and  her  face,  too,  was  hidden. 

Suddenly  a  voice,  pulsating  with  keenest  anguish,  yet  sweet 
and  resonant,  pealed  through  the  air  : 

"Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabacthani  !  " 

With  one  accord  the  moving  populace  all  came  to  an  abrupt 
halt,  and  every  eye  was  turned  towards  the  central  cross  from 
whence  these  thrilling  accents  rang.  Bars  of  gold  were  in  the 
sky, — and  now,  the  long-vanished  sun,  red  as  a  world  on  fire, 
showed  itself  in  round  splendour  abov^e  the  summit  of  Calvary. 

"Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabacthani!"  cried  the  agonised  voice  again, 
and  the  penetrating  appeal,  piercing  aloft,  was  caught  up  in  the 
breaking  clouds  and  lost  in  answering  thunder. 

''He  calleth  for  Elias,"  exclaimed  a  man,  one  of  those  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  crowd  that  was  now  pressing  itself  towards  the 
cross  in  morbid  curiosity, — "Let  us  see  whether  Elias  will  come 
to  take  him  down  ! ' ' 

And  he  laughed  derisively. 

Meanwhile  .  the  centurion,  looked  up, — and  saw  that  the 
last  great  agony  of  death  was  on  the  Kazarene.     Death  in  the 


EVEN  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS     495 

bloom  of  life, — death,  when  every  strong  human  nerve  and  sinew 
and  drop  of  blood  most  potently  rebelled  at  such  premature  dis- 
solution,— death  in  a  torture  more  hideous  than  imagination  can 
depict  or  speech  describe, — this  was  the  fate  that  now  darkly  de- 
scended upon  the  diviuest  Purity,  divinest  Love !  Terrible 
shudderiugs  ran  through  the  firm,  heroically  moulded  Man's 
frame, — the  beautiful  eyes  were  rolled  up  and  fixed, — the  lips 
were  parted,  and  the  struggling  breath  panted  forth  in  short 
quick  gasps.  The  fiery  gold  radiance  of  the  heavens  si^read 
itself  out  in  wider  glory, — the  sun  was  sinking  rapidly.  Moved 
by  an  impulse  of  compassion,  [the  centurion]  whispered  to  a 
soldier  standing  by,  who,  obeying  his  officer's  suggestion,  dipped 
a  sponge  in  vinegar  and,  placing  it  on  a  tall  reed,  lifted  it  to  the 
lips  of  the  immortal  Sufferer,  with  the  intention  of  moistening 
the  parched  tongue  and  reviving  the  swooning  senses.  But  there 
was  no  sign  that  He  was  conscious, — and  while  the  soldier  still 
endeavoured  to  pass  the  sponge  gently  over  the  bleeding  brows  to 
cool  and  comfort  the  torn  and  aching  flesh,  the  sleek  priest 
Annas  stepped  forward  from  amongst  the  people  and  interfered. 
'^Let  be, — let  be!"  said  he  suavely  and  with  a  meek  smile, 
— "Let  us  see  whether  Elias  will  come  to  save  him  !  " 
Barabbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World^s  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  127. 

«  My  God  !    Why  Didst  Tho«  Forsake  Me  ?  ** 

Now  from  the  sixth  hour  there  was  darkness  over  all  the  land 
until  the  ninth  hour. 

And  about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Eli, 
Eli,  lama  sabachthani  ?  "  that  is,  "  My  God  !  my  God  !  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  me"? " 

And  some  of  those  that  stood  there,  when  they  heard  it,  said, 
"This  man  is  calling  Elijah." 

And  straightway  one  of  them  ran,  and  took  a  sponge,  and 
filled  it  with  vinegar,  and  put  it  on  a  reed,  and  gave  him  to  drink. 

And  the  rest  said,  "  Let  be  !  Let  us  see  whether  Elijah  is  com- 
ing to  save  him." 

Matthew  xxvii.  45-49.     Revised,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

When  Jesus  therefore  had  received  the  vinegar,  he  said,  "  It  is 
finished  ! ' ' 

John  xix.  30.     Revised,  etc. 


496      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  when  Jesus  had  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
he  said,  "Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend 
my  spirit :  and  having  said  this,  he  gave  up 
the  gliost." 

Luke  xxiii.  46.     Revised  Version,  etc. 


From  Peloubet's  Select  Notes  on  the  International 
Lessons  /or  1901,  p.  104. 

Ah  God,  What  a  Cry  I 

Ah  God,  what  a  cry  ! 

.  .  .  Uttered  with  the  last  energy  which  assists  dissolution, 
spoken  in  the  tongue  of  his  youth,  and  of  the  lowly  people  for 
whom  he  had  cared,  the  piteous  words  which  one  who  loves  him 
sensitively  would  not,  even  yet,  urge  the  refusing  lips  to  repeat, 
carried  the  last  surprise  of  his  broken  heart. 

As  his  unanswered  question  went  up  from  the  cross  to  the 
heavens,  the  darkness  deepened  to  fright.  The  wind  arose,  but 
fell  at  once  to  ominous  calm.  Then  the  lips  of  the  earth  opened 
and  spoke. 

The  Story  of  Jems  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  394. 

**  Into  Thy  Hands  I  G)mmend  My  Spirit !  ** 
Suddenly  the  difficult  breathing  of  the  Nazarene  ceased ;  a 
marvelous  luminance  fell  on  the  ui)turued  face, — the  lips  that 
had  been  parted  in  gasping  agouy  closed  in  a  dreamy  smile  of 
perfect  peace, — and  a  flaming  golden  glory,  wing-shaped  and 
splendid,  woven  as  it  seemed  out  of  all  the  varying  hues  of  both 
storm  and  sunset,  spread  itself  on  either  side  of  the  cross.  Up- 
ward, to  the  topmost  visible  height  of  heaven,  those  giant  cloud- 
pinions  towered  plume-wise,  and  between  them  and  the  dying 
Christ,  the  sun,  now  sunk  to  a  half-circle,  glittered  like  an 
enormous  jeweled  monstrance  for  the  Host  in  some  cathedral  of 
air.  In  the  midst  of  this  ethereal  radiance  the  pale  face  of  the 
world's  Eedeemer  shone  forth,  rapt  and  transfigured  by  mysteri- 
ous ecstasy, — and  His  voice,  faint,  solemn,  but  melodious  as  music 
itself,  thrilled  softly  through  the  light  and  silence  : 

"Father!     Into  thy  hands     .     .     .     I  commend — my  Spirit !  " 
Barabias,  A  Dream  of  the  World 's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  128. 


M.  Mxinkacsy,     1844 — 
"  WHY    HAST    THOU   FORSAKEN    ME?  " 


EVEN  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS  497 

"It  Is  Finished!*' 

As  the  words  were  uttered,  [the  ceuturiou]  and  the  soldier  who 
liad  proffered  the  viuegar,  exchauged  a  glance, — a  rapid  glance 
of  mutual  suggestion  and  understanding.  With  assumed  rough- 
ness and  impatience,  the  soldier  raised  his  spear  and  deliberately 
thrust  it  deep  into  the  side  of  the  dying  Nazarene.  A  stream  of 
blood  gushed  out,  mingled  with  water ;  and  the  man  wliose  merci- 
ful desire  to  put  an  end  to  torture  had  thus  impelled  him  to  pierce 
the  delicate  flesh,  sprang  back,  vaguely  affrighted  at  what  he  had 
done.  For,  with  the  sharp  shock  of  the  blow,  the  thorn- 
crowned  head  drooped  suddenly, — the  eyes  that  had  been  turned 
to  heaven  now  looked  down,  .  .  .  down,  for  the  last  time  to 
earth,  .  .  .  and  rested  upon  the  watching  crowd  with  such 
an  unspeakable  passion  of  pity,  love,  and  yearning,  that  all  the 
people  were  silent,  stricken  with  something  like  shame  as  well  as 
awe. 

Never  again  in  all  the  centuries  to  come  would  such  a  Love 
look  down  upon  humanity  ! — never  again  would  the  erring  world 
receive  such  a  sublime  forgiveness ! — such  a  tender  parting 
benediction  !  The  wondrous  smile  still  lingered  on  the  pale 
lips, — a  light  more  glorious  than  all  the  sunshine  that 
ever  fell  on  earth,  illumined  the  divinely  beautiful  features. 
One  last,  lingering,  compassionate  gaze, — the  clear,  search- 
ing, conscious  supernal  gaze  of  an  immortal  God  bid- 
ding farewell  for  ever  to  mortality,  and  then  .  .  .  with 
an  exulting  sweetness  and  solemnity,  the  final  words  were 
uttered  : 

"  It  is  finished  !  " 

The  fair  head  fell  forward  heavily  on  the  chest, — the  tortured 
limbs  quivered  once  .  .  .  twice  .  .  .  and  then  were 
still.  Death  had  apparently  claimed  its  own,  — and  no  sign  was 
given  to  show  that  Death  itself  was  mastered.  All  was  over ; — 
God's  message  had  been  given,  and  God's  Messenger  slain.  The 
law  was  satisfied  with  its  own  justice  !  A  god  could  not  have 
died, — but  He  who  had  been  called  the  "Sou  of  God  "  was  dead  ! 
It  was  "finished;" — the  winged  glory  in  the  skies  folded  itself 
up  and  fled  away,  and  like  a  torch  inverted,  the  red  sun  dropped 
into  the  night. 

Barabbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  129. 


498      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Seven  **  Words  **  from  the  Cross 

The  First  Word  :     '-'■Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do.'' 

Probably  spoken  in  the  height  of  his  agony,  when  the  cross, 
with  the  Victim  upon  it,  was  dioj)ped,  with  a  sudden  wrench,  into 
its  place  in  the  ground.     .     .     . 

The    Second  Word:     ^'Verily,   I  say  unto  thee,  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  ivith  me  in  Paradise.'' 
This  word  expressed  the  power  and  desire  of  Jesus  to  save    . 
the  worst  sinners,  even  at  the  last  moment.     .     .     . 

The  Third  Word:     '^ Woman,  behold  thy  son."     .     .  •  .     ^^ Be- 
hold thy  mother." 
.     .     .     This  word  expressed  the  loving  care  of  Jesus  for  the 
temporal,  as  well  as  the  spiritual,  welfare  of  his  own.     .     .     . 

The  Fourth  Word:  '-'My  God,  my  God,  lohy  hast  Thou  for- 
saken me  ? ' ' 
Spoken  toward  the  close  of  the  darkness,  this  cry  was  the  ex- 
pression of  a  human  experience  in  many  an  hour  of  darkness  aud 
despair,  without  which  Jesus  could  uot  have  been  "in  all  points 
tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  It  was  Sl  feeling,  not  a 
fact.     .     .     . 

The  Fifth  Word  :     "J  thirst." 

Shortly  before  death.  The  sole  expression  of  bodily  suffering. 
The  pain,  as  in  the  case  of  wounded  soldiers,  swallowed  up  all 
other  agonies.     .     .     . 

The  Sixth  Word  :     "It  is  finished  !  " 

This  is  one  word  in  the  Greek,  and  it  has  been  called  "the 
greatest  word  ever  uttered."     .     .     . 

The  Seventh  Word  :     "  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my 

spirit." 

This  word  teaches  us  how  to  die. 

Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  for  1901,  Rev.  F,  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D., 
pp.  103-1U3. 


EVEN  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS  499 

**TfuIy  This  Was  a  Son  of  God!** 

And  behold,  the  curtain  of  the  sanctuary  was  torn  in  two  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom  ;  and  the  earth  quaked  ;  and  the  rocks  were 
rent ;  and  the  tombs  were  oi^ened  ;  aud  mauy  bodies  of  the  saints 
that  had  fallen  asleep  were  raised  ;  and  coming  cut  of  the  tombs 
after  his  resurrection,  they  entered  the  holy  city  and  appeared  to 
mauy. 

Now  the  centurion,  and  they  that  were  with  him  watching 
Jesus,  when  they  saw  the  earthquake,  and  the  tilings  that  weie 
done,  feared  exceedingly,  saying.  Truly,  this  was  a  son  of   (iod. 

And  many  women  were  there  beholding  from  afar,  who  had 
followed  Jesus  from  Galilee,  ministering  to  him  :  among  whom 
was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James  aud  Joses, 
and  the  mother  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee. 

Matthew  xxvii.  51-56.     Revised,  using  Marginals. 

And  many  other  women  who  came  up  with  him  to  Jerusalem. 
Mark  xv.  41.     Revised,  etc. 

John  Led  the  Mother  Away 

The  narrative  leaves  the  impression  that  with  the  beloved 
disciple  these  four  women  were  standing  close  to  the  cross :  the 
Mother  of  Jesus,  the  sister  of  His  mother,  Mary  the  wife  of 
Clopas,  aud  Mary  of  Magdala.  A  comparison  with  what  is 
related  by  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Mark  snj^plies  further  important 
particulars.  We  read  there  of  only  three  women,  the  name  of 
the  mother  of  our  Lord  being  omitted.  But  then  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  this  refers  to  a  later  period  in  the  history  of  the 
crucifixion.  It  seems  as  if  John  had  fulfilled  to  the  letter  the 
Lord's  command:  "Behold  thy  mother,"  and  literally  "from 
that  very  hour  "  taken  her  to  his  own  home.  If  we  are  right  in 
this  supposition,  then,  in  the  absence  of  St.  John — who  led  away 
the  Virgin  Mother  from  that  scene  of  horror — the  other  three 
women  would  withdraw  to  a  distance,  where  we  find  them  at  the 
end,  not  "by  the  cross,"  .  .  .  but  "beholding  from  afar," 
aud  now  joined  by  others,  also,  who  had  loved  and  followed 
Christ. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  602. 


500      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

No  Woman  "Was  Ever  Unkind  to  Jesus 
It  is  said  there  is  no  iustauce  iu  the  Gospels  of  a  woman  being 
an  enemy  of  Jesus.  No  woman  deserted  or  betrayed,  persecuted 
or  opposed  Him.  But  women  followed  Him,  they  ministered  to 
Him  of  their  substance,  they  waslied  His  feet  with  tears,  they 
auoiuted  His  head  with  spikenard  ;  and  now,  when  their  hus- 
bands and  brothers  were  hounding  Him  to  death,  they  accom- 
panied Him  with  weepiug  and  wailing  to  the  scene  of  martyrdom. 
The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  147. 

Not  She ! 

Not  she  with  trait'rous  kiss  her  Saviour  stung; 
Not  she  denied  him  with  unholy  tongue ; 
She,  when  apostles  shrank,  could  danger  brave, 
Last  at  his  cross  and  earliest  at  his  grave. 

— Eaton  S.  Barrett. 

When  Man  Is  Silent,  Nature  Speaks 
As  I  looked,  dark  shadows  began  to  fall  around  me  :  great 
black  clouds  were  rolling  up  from  the  sea,  and  all  the  laud  of  the 
Philistines  lay  in  shade.  The  clouds  rose  up  higher,  and  hid  the 
sun.  A  darkness  like  that  of  night  fell  over  the  whole  country. 
"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  when  man  is  silent,  nature  speaks.  The  people 
of  Jerusalem  care  nothing  for  what  is  happening.  They  do  not 
care  that  the  greatest  and  best  of  all  men  is  dying  in  agony  out- 
side of  the  city  ;  but  the  sun  is  ashamed  to  look  on  this  deed  of 
Satan,  and  hides  his  fiice  ;  the  earth  puts  on  a  mourning  dress ; 
the  skies  weep  for  this  greatest  of  all  prophets." 

As  I  said  this,  there  came  a  low  rumbling  sound  ;  and,  though 
the  storm  had  not  yet  come,  the  trees  began  to  lash  their  branches. 
Directly  I  felt  the  earth  shaking  under  me ;  and  some  of  the  rocks 
were  dislodged,  and  rolled  down  the  side  of  the  peak.  Then 
there  came  another  deep  rumbling  sound,  passing  away  toward 
the  sea  of  death.  I  started  to  my  feet  iu  terror  ;  but  in  a  moment 
all  was  over,  and  the  stillness  returned.  Then  I  knew  that  this 
was  what  the  Greeks  call  seismos,  or  earth-shaking ;  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  earth  and  the  heavens  both  sympathized 
with  the  sufferings  of  a  soul  mightier  than  they.  And  I  remem- 
bered his  words,  "  If  these  should  hold  their  peace,  the  very  rocks 


EVEN  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS     501 

would  cry  out."     Meu  tlirougli  cowardice  held  their  peace,  aud 

the  rocks  were  already  speaking. 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Eclated  by  Thomas  Didmnus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  391. 

**  They  Shall  Look  on  Him  Whom  They  Pierced 

The  Jews  therefore,  because  it  was  the  Preparatiou,  that  the 
bodies  should  not  remain  on  the  cross  upon  the  sabbath  (for  the 
day  of  that  sabbath  was  a  high  day)  asked  of  Pilate  that  their 
legs  might  be  broken,  aud  that  they  might  be  takeu  away. 

The  soldiers  therefore  came,  aud  broke  the  legs  of  the  first,  and 
of  the  other  that  was  crucified  with  him  :  but  when  they  came  to 
Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was  dead  already,  they  did  not  break  his 
legs :  however  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his  side, 
and  straightway  there  came  out  blood  aud  water. 

Aud  he  that  has  seen  has  borue  witness,  and  his  witness  is 
true  :  aud  he  knows  that  he  says  true,  that  you  also  may  believe. 

For  these  things  came  to  pass,  that  the  scrix)ture  might  be  ful- 
filled, A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken. 

And  again  another  scripture  says.  They  shall  look  on  him 
whom  they  pierced. 

John  xix.  31-37.     Eevised  Version ,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

Then  the  Ghastly  "Work  Began 
Pilate  hearkened  to  the  request  of  the  Jews,  and  orders  were 
given  to  the  soldiers  to  act  accordingly.  Theu  the  ghastly  work 
began.  They  broke  the  legs  of  the  malefactor  on  the  one  side  of 
Jesus,  aud  then  those  of  the  malefactor  on  the  opposite  side. 
The  penitent  thief  was  not  spared  5  but  what  a  diflfereuce  his 
peniteuce  made !  To  his  companion  this  was  nothing  but  an 
additional  indignity  ;  to  him  it  was  the  kuockiug-off  of  the  fetters, 
that  his  spirit  might  the  sooner  wing  its  way  to  Paradise,  where 
Christ  had  trysted  to  meet  him. 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  James  Stalker,  D.  D.,  p.  298. 

He  Had  Died  of  a  Broken  Heart 
That  any  one  should  die  so  soon  on  the  cross,  especially  one, 
like  Jesus,  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  unweakened  by  previous  ill- 
health,  and  in  such  vigour  to  the  last  as  to  utter  such  a  shriek  as 


502      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

that  with  which  He  expired,  api^eared  eveu  to  Christian  antiquity, 
to  imply  some  supernatural  cause.  But  the  mingled  flow  of  blood 
and  water  seems  to  point  unmistakably  to  another  explanation. 
The  immediate  cause  of  death  appears,  beyond  question,  to  have 
been  the  rupture  of  His  heart,  brought  about  by  mental  agony. 

Excess  of  joy  or  grief  is  known  to  induce  the  bursting  of  some 
division  of  the  heart,  and  the  consequent  flow  of  blood  into  the 
pericardium,  or  bag,  filled  with  colorless  serum,  like  water,  in 
which  the  heart  is  suspended.  In  ordinary  cases,  only  examina- 
tion after  death  discovers  the  fact,  but  in  that  of  our  Lord's,  the 
same  end  was  answered  by  the  thrust  of  the  soldier's  spear.  In 
a  death  from  heart-rupture  "the  hand  is  suddenly  carried  to  the 
front  of  the  chest,  and  a  piercing  shriek  uttered."  The  hands  of 
Jesus  were  nailed  to  the  cross,  but  the  appalling  shriek  is  re- 
corded. 

Jesus  died,  literally,  of  a  broken  heart ! 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  541, 

The  Hurried  Burial 

And  when  evening  had  now  come,  because  it  was  the  Prepara- 
tion, that  is,  the  day  before  the  sabbath,  there  came  Joseph  of 
Arimathiea,  a  councilor  of  honourable  estate,  who  also  himself  was 
looking  for  the  kingdom  of  God  :  and  he  boldly  went  in  to  Pilate, 
and  asked  for  the  body  of  Jesus. 

And  Pilate  marveled  if  he  were  already  dead  :  and  calling  to 
him  the  centurion,  he  asked  him  whether  he  had  been  any  while 
dead.  And  when  he  learned  it  of  the  centurion,  he  granted  the 
corpse  to  Joseph. 

3Iark  xv.  42-45. 

And  there  came  also  Nicodemus,  he  who  at  the  first  came  to 
him  by  night,  bringing  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  about  a 
hundred  pounds. 

So  they  took  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  bound  it  in  linen  cloths 
with  the  spices,  as  the  custom  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury. 

Now  in  the  place  where  he  was  crucified  there  was  a  garden  ; 
and  in  the  garden  a  new  tomb  in  which  man  was  never  yet  laid. 

There  then  because  of  the  Jews'  Preparation  (for  the  tomb  was 
near  at  hand)  they  laid  Jesus. 
John  xix.  39-42. 


EVEN  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS  503 

And  Mary  Magdalene  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Joses  saw  where 
he  was  laid. 

Mark  xv.  47.     Revised  Version,  etc. 

In  a  New  Tomb 

A  tomb,  never  yet  used,  had  been  hewn  out  in  the  hill-side  for 
himself,  by  Joseph,  in  a  garden  not  far  from  Calvary. 

To  this  the  body  of  Jesus  was  now  taken.  Nicodemus  had 
come  with  some  of  his  servants,  and  he  and  they,  with  Joseph 
and  his  attendants,  and  Mary  of  Magdala,  and  Mary  the  mother 
of  James  the  Less,  and  of  Joses ;  the  wife  of  Clopas,  and  perhaps, 
some  others  of  the  true-hearted  women  from  Galilee,  were  the 
only  followers  of  His  bier. 

Arrived  at  the  grave,  the  sacred  burden  was  laid  down  for  a 
time,  till  the  needed  preparations  were  made  for  placing  it  in  the 
tomb.  The  whole  body,  stained  as  it  was  with  blood,  was  ten- 
derly washed,  and  then  wrapped  in  broad  bands  of  white  linen, 
within  which  were  thickly  strewn  powdered  myrrh  and  aloes, 
which  had  been  provided  by  Nicodemus  for  the  imperfect  em- 
balmment practised  by  the  Jews.  The  ends  of  the  bandages  were 
appareutly  secured  on  the  inner  side  with  gum,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Egyptian  dead.  A  white  cloth  was  finally  laid  over  the  face, 
after  a  last  kiss,  the  pledge  of  undying  love. 

The  corpse  was  then  laid  in  a  niche  in  the  rock,  and  since  there 
was  no  stone  door,  as  in  some  tombs,  a  great  stone,  prepared  for  the 
purpose,  was  rolled  against  the  entrance,  to  protect  the  body  from 
the  designs  of  enemies,  or  the  attacks  of  wild  beasts.  It  was  only 
a  hurried  burial,  for  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  were  shining  on  the 
garden  as  the  stone  was  set  up  agaiust  the  entrance  to  the  grave. 
The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cuuninghain  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  545. 

Rest  in  Thy  Glory,  Noble  Fotrnder ! 
Rest  now  in  thy  glory,  noble  Founder  !  Thy  work  is  com- 
pleted ;  thy  divinity  is  established.  Fear  no  more  to  see  the 
edifice  of  thy  efforts  crumble  through  any  fault !  Henceforth, 
beyond  all  frailty,  thou  shalt  aid  from  the  depth  of  thy  divine 
peace  the  unending  results  that  follow  from  thy  deeds.  At  the 
cost  of  a  few  hours  of  suffering,  which  have  not  even  touched  thy 
great  soul,  thou  hast  achieved  immortality  the  most  complete. 


504      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

During  thousands  of  years,  the  world  will  breathe  life  from  thee. 
Around  thee,  as  an  ensign  lifted  above  our  conflicts,  will  be  fought 
the  hottest  battle.  A  thousand  times  more  living,  more  beloved, 
since  thy  death  than  during  the  days  of  thy  pilgrimage  here  below, 
thou  wilt  become  so  completely  the  corner-stone  of  humanity,  that 
to  tear  thy  name  from  the  record  of  this  world  would  be  to  disturb  its 
very  foundations.  Henceforth  men  shall  draw  no  boundary  be- 
tween thee  and  God.  Do  thou,  who  hast  completely  vanquished 
death,  take  possession  of  thy  kingdom,  whither,  by  the  royal  road 
thou  hast  pointed  out,  long  generations  of  adorers  shall  follow  thee  ! 
The  Life  of  Jesus,  Eruest  Renan,  p.  395. 

Sealing  and  Guarding  the  Tomb 
Now  on  the  morrow,  which  is  the  day  after  the  Preparation, 
the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  were  gathered  together  before 
Pilate,  saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that  the  deceiver  said,  while  he 
was  yet  alive,  After  three  days  I  rise  again.  Command  therefore 
that  the  sepulchre  be  made  sure  until  the  third  day,  lest  haply  his 
disciples  come  and  steal  him  away,  and  say  to  the  people.  He  is 
risen  from  the  dead :  and  the  last  error  will  be  worse  than  the 
first. 

Pilate  said  to  them,  Take  a  guard  :  go  your  way,  make  it  sure 
as  you  know.  So  they  went  and  made  the  sepulchre  sure,  sealing 
the  stone,  the  guard  being  with  them. 

Matthew  xxvii.  62-66.     Revised,  using  Marginals,  etc. 

Left  to  Sleep  through  the  Sabbath 
Meanwhile,  the  fears  of  the  chief  priests  and  their  party  had 
already  awaked.  A  meeting  had  been  held  immediately  after 
the  crucifixion,,  and  the  success  of  the  scheme  to  crush  Jesus  had, 
doubtless,  been  the  subject  of  hearty  mutual  congratulations.  But 
they  dreaded  that  all  was  not  over.  It  was  remembered  by  one  or 
more  that  "  the  deceiver  "  had  spoken  darkly  of  rising  from  the  dead 
on  the  third  day,  and  His  disciples,  acting  on  this  hint,  might  steal 
the  body,  and  spread  abroad  the  assertion  that  He  had  actually 
risen,  misleading  the  people  more  than  ever,  by  claiming  for  Him 
divine  honours.  It  was  hence  necessary  that  the  grave  should  be 
watched  for  three  days.     A  deputation  was,  therefore,  appointed 


EVEN  TH7.  DEATH  OF  THE  CROSS  505 

to  wait  ou  Pilate,  representing  their  apprehensions.  Tired  of 
them,  and  hating  thein,  the  governor  was  in  no  humour  to  argue. 

"Ye  have  a  guard,''  said  he,  with  military  bluutness.  ''Go, 
make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can." 

This  they  did.  Passing  a  strong  cord  across  the  stone,  and 
securing  its  ends  by  clay,  they  sealed  it,  after  noting  that  the 
soldiers  were  duly  stationed  so  as  to  make  approach  without  their 
knowledge  impossible. 

And  thus  the  Eedeemer  was  left — pale,  but  victorious — to  sleep 
through  the  Sabbath. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p,  545, 

How  He  Tfi«mphed  over  the  Crwelty  and  Shame  of  It  All 
.  We  gladly  turn  away  from  the  awful  sight,  to  think  how 
by  His  strength  of  soul,  His  resignation,  and  His  love,  Jesus  tri- 
umphed over  the  shame,  the  cruelty,  and  horror  of  it ;  and  how, 
as  the  sunset  with  its  crimson  glory  makes  even  the  putrid  pool 
burn  like  a  shield  of  gold  and  drenches  with  brilliance  the  vilest 
object  held  up  against  its  beams.  He  converted  the  symbol  of 
slavery  and  wickedness  into  a  symbol  for  whatever  is  most  pure 
and  glorious  in  the  world.  The  head  hung  free  in  crucifixion,  so 
that  He  was  able  not  only  to  see  what  was  going  on  beneath  Him, 
but  also  to  speak.  He  uttered  seven  sentences  at  intervals,  which 
have  been  preserved  to  us.  .  They  are  seven  windows  by  which 
we  can  still  look  into  His  very  mind  and  heart,  and  learn  the  im- 
pressions made  on  Him  by  what  was  hai^pening.  They  show  that 
He  retained  unimpaired  the  serenity  and  majesty  which  had 
characterised  Him  throughout  His  trial,  and  exhibited  in  their 
fullest  exercise  all  the  qualities  which  bad  already  made  His 
character  illustrious. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  143. 

The  Greatest  Crime  in  History 
The  murder  of  Jesus  was  the  greatest  crime  in  history.  .  .  . 
No  authentic  monument  marks  the  skull-shaped  knob  of  ground 
outside  Jerusalem  where  the  murder  was  committed.  But  it 
needs  no  monument.  The  Orient  as  it  is  to-day,  and  as  it  threat- 
ens to  remain  for  millenniums  yet  to  come,  is  a  tombstone  suf- 
ficiently dismal,  recording  the  event. 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  189. 


xxxvn 

LEGEOT)S  SACEED  AND  PEOFANE 

Some  call  her  Memory, 
And  some,  Tradition. 

— George  Eliot. 

The  Letter  of  Abgarws  to  Jestts 

{Mentioned  by  Eusebius,  ia  the  Fourth  Century) 

Abgarus,  king  of  Edessa,  to  Jesus  the  good  Saviour,  who  ap- 
pears at  Jerusalem,  greeting  : 

I  have  been  informed  concerning  you  and  your  cures,  which 
are  performed  without  the  use  of  medicines  and  herbs.  For  it  is 
reported,  that  you  cause  the  blind  to  see,  the  lame  to  walk,  do 
both  cleanse  lepers,  and  cast  out  unclean  spirits  and  devils,  and 
restore  them  to  health  who  have  been  long  diseased,  and  raised 
up  the  dead  ;  all  of  which  when  I  heard,  I  was  persuaded  of  one 
of  these  two,  viz :  either  you  are  God  himself  descended  from 
heaven,  who  did  these  things,  or  the  son  of  God.  On  this  account 
therefore  I  have  wrote  to  you,  earnestly  to  desire  you  would  take 
the  trouble  of  a  journey  hither,  and  cure  a  disease  which  I  am 
under.  For  I  hear  the  Jews  ridicule  you,  and  intend  you  mis- 
chief My  city  is  small  indeed,  but  neat,  and  large  enough  for 
us  both. 

The   Epistles  of  Jesus  Christ  and  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa,  The  Apocryphal 
[Spurious]  New  Testament,  p.  62. 

Reply  Said  to  Have  Been  Written  by  the  Qirist 
Abgarus,  you  are  happy,  forasmuch  as  you  have  believed  on 
me,  whom  ye  have  not  seen.     For  it  is  written  concerning  me, 
that  those  who  have  seen  me  should  not  believe  on  me,  that  they 
who  have  not  seen  might  believe  and  live. 

As  to  that  part  of  your  letter,  which  relates  to  my  giving  you  a 
visit,  I  must  inform  you,  that  I  must  fulfil  all  the  ends  of  my 
mission  in  this  country,  and  after  that  be  received  up  again  to 
him  who  sent  me.     But  after  my  ascension  I  will  send  one  of  my 

506 


.'      ■'                       '''.;■                                                   '      '  ■       y          'i 
'''■'"'■:-        •      ■^■'■""'^   -■;      ■        ':      '    :'■:.■■          i 

.■'■■■'■-                                                                          ■                                  ■                                      .                  "                  '    '                           ■  ■  i\ 
•*-'('■■                                                                                                                                                ■  ■•  ■                              ''          '       ■                   '  ■.    ♦ 

,■         ■  ■          \ 

:.-■■"■                                                                                   ■                                                                                                                  .....                 •     <-,< 

.     -             .  .-                                                    ..'■..             .-.'..■        ^      ,                     i         ■ '.''.  '      .-  '- 
-    '                 '                                                                                                    '     '■        '     ■''■      v*    i#-<^ 

EARLY    PORTRAIT    OF    JESUS 

Supposed  to  have  been  painted  by  Luke  "  the  Beloved  Physician  "  for  Abgarus 
of  Edessa.  Its  history  is  traceable  far  back  into  the  Middle  Ages,  though  its  origin 
is  lost  in  obscurity.  Reproduced  here  for  the  first  time  by  permission  of  its  present 
owners  J.  E.  Barr&Co.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


LEGENDS  SACRED  AND  PROFANE     607 

disciples,  who  will  cure  your  disease,  and  give  life  to  you,  and  all 
that  are  with  you. 

The  Epistles  of  Jesus  Christ  and  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa,   The  Apocryphal 
[Spurious]  New  Testament,  p.  63. 

The  Portrait  Sent  to  Abgaros 
John  of  Damascus,  in  his  fiery  zeal  in  the  great  controversy  on 
the  use  of  images,  sought  to  paralyze  the  opposition  of  the 
iconoclast  emperor  Coustautiue  Coprouymus,  by  bringing  for- 
ward a  legend  which  we  meet  first  at  the  close  of  the  fifth  cen- 
tury, that  Abgarus,  king  of  Edessa,  had  once  sent  a  painter  to 
Jesus  to  take  His  portrait,  but  the  artist  failed,  from  the  dazzling 
brightness  of  the  Saviour's  features.  Jesus,  the  legend  went  on 
to  say,  hououriug  the  spirit  that  had  prompted  the  attempt,  im- 
pressed His  likeuess  on  the  cloth  with  which  He  was  wont  to 
wipe  His  brow,  and  seut  it  to  Abgarus.  But,  though  a  letter  of 
Abgarus  to  Jesus,  aud  of  Jesus  to  Abgarus,  are  noticed  as  early 
as  the  middle  of  the  second  century,  by  Justin  Martyr,  this  won- 
drous story  of  the  miraculous  portrait  appears  only  as  an  addition 
of  centuries  later. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D,  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  430. 

The  Wandering  Jew 

According  to  a  popular  legend,  Jesus  is  said  to  have  paused  to 
rest  in  front  of  the  shop  of  a  cobbler  named  Ahasuerus,  of  the 
tribe  of  Naphtali.  The  sight  of  the  fainting  Saviour  did  not 
move  the  shoemaker  to  pity.  Striking  Him  with  his  fist,  he 
shouted,  "  Don't  stop  here  !     Go  on  !     Move  faster  !  " 

The  tottering  Victim  gazed  reproachfully  at  the  cobbler,  and 
said  sadly  : 

"  I  indeed  am  going  on,  but  tarry  thou  till  I  come  again." 

This  is  one  of  many  forms  of  the  legend  of  the  Wandering  Jew, 
which  has  been  enlarged  upon  by  Eugene  Sue,  General  Lew 
Wallace  and  Eugene  Field.  The  story  of  the  Jew  who  has  been 
condemned  to  wander  about  the  world  until  the  second  coming  of 
the  Christ  has  gained  a  strong  hold  on  the  popular  imagination. 
In  some  countries  the  Jews  themselves  set  out  a  cup  of  wine  or 
other  drink,  at  Passover  time,  for  his  refreshment  if  he  should  be 
hovering  about. 
W.W. 


508      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Veronica  and  the  Handkerchief  Portrait 

While  removing  the  cross  from  the  back  of  the  fallen  Victim 
and  placing  it  on  the  shoulders  of  Simon  of  Cyrene  the  sad  pro- 
cession came  to  a  halt. 

At  this  time,  according  to  a  tradition,  a  woman,  heavily  veiled, 
came  out  of  a  house  beside  the  Way  of  Sorrows  and,  reaching  the 
side  of  the  bleeding  Sufferer,  offered  Him  a  large  handkerchief. 
Jesus  took  the  cloth,  wiped  the  sweat  and  blood  from  His  face, 
and  returned  it  to  her  with  His  thanks. 

As  the  procession  started  on,  the  woman  was  rudely  thrust 
aside.  The  sight  of  His  bleeding  face  had  so  affected  her  that  she 
swooned  on  entering  the  house.  When  she  recovered  conscious- 
ness she  found  the  likeness  of  Jesus  on  the  napkin  with  which 
He  had  wiped  His  face.  Falling  on  her  knees  she  cried  out : 
"  Blessed  be  the  name  of  God  my  Saviour,  who  hath  left  me  this 
memorial ! ' ' 

It  is  related  that  when  she  showed  this  napkin  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  His  mother  recognised  His  portrait  and  burst  into  tears. 

The  woman  of  the  miraculous  likeness  is  supposed  to  have 
visited  Rome,  and  the  napkin  is  believed  to  be  the  one  still  pre- 
served in  the  Vatican,  She  has  been  canonised  as  St,  Veronica, 
(meaning  ''  true  likeness  ")  and  the  story  of  her  pitying  ministry 
is  told  as  one  of  the  "  Stations  of  the  Cross  "  in  Roman  Catholic 
Churches. 
W.  W. 

The  King  of  Glory  Enters  through  the  Gates  of  Hell 

Then  there  was  a  great  voice,  as  of  the  sound  of  thunder  saying, 
Lift  up  your  gates,  O  princes ;  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  gates  of 
hell,  and  the  King  of  Glory  will  enter  in. 

The  prince  of  hell  perceiving  the  same  voice  repeated,  cried 
out  as  though  he  had  been  ignorant.  Who  is  that  King  of 
Glory  ? 

David  replied  to  the  prince  of  hell,  and  said,  I  understand 
the  words  of  that  voice,  because  I  spake  them  by  his  spirit.  And 
now,  as  I  have  above  said,  I  say  unto  thee,  the  Lord  strong  and 
powerful,  the  Lord  mighty  in  battle  :  he  is  the  King  of  Glory, 
and  he  is  the  Lord  in  heaven  and  in  earth  ;  He  hath  looked  down 
to  hear  the  groans  of  the  prisoners,  and  to  set  loose  those  that  are 


From  the  Sacred  Relic  in  the   Vatican  Gabriel  Max 

PORTRAIT  BELIEVED  TO  HAVE  BEEN  IMPRINTED  MIRACULOUSLY 

ON  veronica's  veil 


Notice  the  effect  of  opening  and  closing  of  the  eyes 


LEGENDS  SACKED  AND  PROFANE     509 

appointed  to  death.  Aud  now,  tliou  filthy  and  stinking  prince 
of  hell,  open  thy  gates,  that  the  King  of  Glory  may  enter  in  :  for 
he  is  the  Lord  of  heaven  aud  earth. 

While  David  was  saying  this,  the  mighty  Lord  appeared  in  the 
form  of  a  man,  and  enlightened  those  places  which  had  ever  be- 
fore been  in  darkness,  and  broke  asunder  the  fetters  which  before 
could  not  be  broken  ;  aud  with  his  invincible  power  visited  those 
who  sate  in  the  deep  darkness  by  iniquity,  and  the  shadow  of 
death  by  sin. 

Ads  of  Pilate,  (attributed  to  Nicodemus)  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New 
Testament,  p.  84. 

Caesar  Commands  Pilate  to  Send  the  Great  Physician 
to  Heal  Him 
Now  whereas  Tiberius  Csesar  emperor  of  the  Eomans  was  suf- 
fering from  a  grievous  sickness,  aud  hearing  that  there  was  at 
Jerusalem  a  certain  physician,  Jesus  by  name,  who  healed  all 
diseases  by  his  word  alone  ;  not  knowing  that  the  Jews  and 
Pilate  had  put  him  to  death,  he  thus  bade  one  of  his  attendants, 
Volusiauus  by  name,  saying.  Go  as  quickly  as  thou  canst  across 
the  sea,  and  tell  Pilate,  my  servant  and  friend,  to  send  me  this 
physician  to  restore  me  to  my  original  health.  Aud  Volusiauus, 
having  heard  the  order  of  the  emperor,  immediately  departed, 
and  came  to  Pilate,  as  it  was  commanded  him.  And  he  told  the 
same  Pilate  what  had  been  committed  to  him  by  Tiberius  Csesar, 
saying,  Tiberius  Coesar,  emperor  of  the  Eomans,  thy  lord, 
having  heard  that  in  this  city  there  is  a  physician  who  healeth 
diseases  by  his  word  alone,  earnestly  eutreateth  thee  to  send  him 
to  heal  his  disease.  And  Pilate  was  greatly  terrified  on  hearing 
this,  knowing  that  through  envy  he  had  caused  him  to  be  slain. 
Pilate  answered  the  messenger,  saying  thus.  This  man  was  a 
malefactor,  and  a  man  who  drew  after  himself  all  the  people  ;  so, 
after  counsel  taken  of  the  wise  men  of  the  city  I  caused  him  to 
be  crucified. 

The  Death  of  Pilate,  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New  Testament,  p.  279. 

Pilate's  Excuse 
Pontius  Pilate  to  Tiberius  Cwsar  the  Emperor — Greeting  : 

Upon  Jesus  Christ,  whom  I  fully  made  known  to  thee  in 
my  last,  a  bitter  punishment  hath  at  length  been  inflicted  by  the 


510      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

will  of  the  people,  although  I  was  uuwilliug  and  apprehensive. 

In  good  truth,  no  age  ever  had  or  will  have  a  man  so  good  and 

strict.     But  the  people  made  a  wonderful  effort,  and  all  their 

scribes,  chiefs  and  elders  agreed  to  crucify  this  ambassador  of 

truth,  their  own  prophets,  like  the  Sibyls  with  us,  advising  the 

contrary  ;  and  when  he  was  hanged  supernatural  signs  appeared, 

and  in  the  judgment  of  philosophers  menaced  the  whole  world 

with  ruin.     His  disciples  flourish,   not  belying  their  master  by 

their  behaviour  and  continence  of  life  ;  nay,  in  his  name  they  are 

most  beneficent.     Had  I  not  feared  a  sedition  might  arise  among 

the  people,  who  were  almost  furious,  perhaps  this  man  would 

have  yet  been  living  with  us.     Although,  being  rather  compelled 

by  fidelity  to  thy  dignity,  than  led  by  my  own  inclination,  I  did 

not  strive  with  all  my  might  to  prevent  the  sale  and  suffering  of 

righteous  blood,  guiltless  of  every  accusation,  unjustly,  indeed, 

through  the  maliciousness  of  men,  and  yet,  as  the  Scriptures 

interpret,  to  their  owu  destruction. 

Farewell.     The  5th  of  the  Calends  of  April. 

The   Epistle   of   Pontius    Pilate,    The  Apocryphal    [Spurious]   Neic   Testa- 
ment, p.  272. 

Condemned  to  the  Most  Ignominious  Death 

Then  Pontius  Pilate  was  apprehended  by  command  of  Csesar 
and  brought  to  Eome.  Csesar,  hearing  that  Pilate  had  come  to 
Rome,  was  filled  with  exceeding  wrath  against  him,  and  caused 
him  to  be  brought  to  him.  Now  Pilate  brought  with  him  the 
seamless  coat  of  Jesus,  and  wore  it  when  before  the  emperor.  As 
soon  as  the  emperor  saw  him  he  laid  aside  all  his  wrath,  and 
forthwith  rose  to  him,  and  was  unable  to  speak  harshly  to  him  in 
anything  :  and  he  who  in  his  absence  seemed  so  terrible  and 
fierce  now  in  his  presence  is  found  comparatively  gentle. 

And  when  he  had  dismissed  him,  he  soon  became  terribly  in- 
flamed against  him,  declaring  himself  wretched,  because  he  had 
not  expressed  to  him  the  anger  of  his  bosom.  And  immediately 
he  had  him  recalled,  swearing  and  protesting  that  he  was  a  child 
of  death,  and  unfitted  to  live  upon  earth.  And  when  he  saw  him 
he  instantly  greeted  him,  and  laid  aside  all  the  fury  of  his  mind. 

All  were  astonished,  and  he  was  astonished  himself,  that  he 
was  so  enraged  against  Pilate  while  absent,  and  could  say  noth- 


LEGENDS  SACRED  AND  PROFANE     511 

ing  to  him  sharply  while  he  was  present.  At  length,  by  divine 
suggestion,  or  perhaps  by  the  persuasion  of  some  Christian,  he 
had  him  stripped  of  the  coat,  and  soon  resumed  against  him  his 
original  fury  of  mind.  And  when  the  emperor  was  wondering 
very  much  about  this,  they  told  him  it  had  been  the  coat  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Then  the  emperor  commanded  him  to  be  kept  in 
prison  till  he  should  take  counsel  with  the  wise  men  what  ought 
to  be  done  with  him.  And  after  a  few  days'  sentence  was  given 
against  Pilate  that  he  should  be  condemned  to  the  most  ignomin- 
ious death.  When  Pilate  heard  this  he  slew  himself  with  his 
own  dagger,  and  by  such  a  death  put  an  end  to  his  life. 

The  Death  of  Pilate,  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New  Testament,  p.  281. 

"What  They  Did  with  Pilate*s  Body 
When  Pilate's  death  was  made  known  Caesar  said,  Truly  he  has 
died  a  most  ignominious  death,  whose  own  hand  hath  not  spared 
him.  He  was  thei-efore  fastened  to  a  great  block  of  stone  and  sunk 
in  the  river  Tiber.  But  wicked  and  unclean  spirits,  rejoicing  in 
his  wicked  and  unclean  body,  all  moved  about  in  the  water,  and 
caused  in  the  air  dreadful  lightning  and  tempests,  thunder  and 
hail,  so  that  all  were  seized  with  horrible  fear.  On  which  account 
the  Romans  dragged  him  out  of  the  river  Tiber,  bore  him  away  in 
derision  to  Vienue,  and  sunk  him  in  the  river  Rhone.  For  Vienne 
means,  as  it  were,  Way  of  Gehenna,  because  it  was  then  a  place  of 
cursing.     And  evil  spirits  were  there  and  did  the  same  things. 

Those  men,  therefore,  not  enduring  to  be  so  harassed  by  demons, 
removed  the  vessel  of  cursing  from  them  and  sent  it  to  be  buried 
in  the  territory  of  Losania.  But  when  they  were  troubled  exceed- 
ingly by  the  aforesaid  vexations,  they  put  it  away  from  them  and 
sunk  it  in  a  certain  pool  surrounded  by  mountains,  where  even 
yet,  according  to  the  account  of  some,  sundry  diabolical  contri- 
vances are  said  to  issue  forth. 

The  Death  of  Pilate,  The  Apocryphal  [Spurious]  New  Testament,  p.  281. 

All  That  Josephus  Relates  about  Jestts 

( This  paragraph  is  believed  to  be  an  interpolation) 

Now  there  was  about  this  time  Jesus,  a  wise  man,  if  it  be  lawful 
to  call  him  a  man  ;  for  he  was  a  doer  of  wonderful  works,  a  teacher 
of  such  men  as  receive  truth  with  pleasure.     He  drew  over  to  him 


512      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

both  many  of  the  Jews,  and  mauy  of  the  Gentiles.  He  was  [the] 
Christ.  And  when  Pilate,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  principal  men 
among  us,  had  condemned  him  to  the  cross,  those  that  loved  him 
at  the  first  did  not  forsake  him  ;  for  he  appeared  to  them  alive 
again  the  third  day  ;  as  the  divine  prophets  had  foretold  these 
and  ten  thousand  other  wonderful  things  concerning  him.  And 
the  tribe  of  Christians,  so  named  from  him,  are  not  extinct  at  this 
day. 

The  Works  of  Flavius  Josephus,  edited  by  William  Winston,  A.  M.,  Book  II. 
Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  Book  XVIII,  Chapter  iii,  p.  45. 


H      .2 


XXXVIII 
THE  BEIGHTNESS  OF  HIS  EISING 

O  Christ !    Thy  triumphs  now  begin. 

— Milman. 

As  It  Began  to  Dawn 
And  on  the  sabbath  day  they  rested  according  to  the  com- 
mandment. 

Luke  xxiii.  56. 

Now  late  on  the  sabbath  day,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  Mary  Magdalene  and  the  other  Mary  came 
to  see  the  sepulchre. 

And  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake ;  for  an  angel  of  the 
Lord  descended  from  heaven,  and  came  and  rolled  away  the  stone, 
and  sat  upon  it.  His  appearance  was  like  lightning,  and  his 
raiment  white  as  snow :  and  for  fear  of  him  the  watchers  did 
quake,  and  became  like  dead  men. 

Matthciv  xxviii.  1-4.     Eevised  Version,  etc. 

Waiting  fot  the  First  Streak  of  Easter  Light 
Did  they,  who  had  spent  what  remained  of  daylight  to  prepare 
spices  wherewith  to  anoint  the  dead  Christ,  expect  His  body  to 
be  removed,  or  did  they  expect — perhaps  in  their  sorrow  even 
think  of  His  word  :  "I  rise  again  1 "  But  on  that  holy  Sabbath, 
when  the  Sanhedrists  were  thinking  of  how  to  make  sure  of  the 
dead  Christ,  what  were  the  thoughts  of  Joseph  of  Arimathsea  and 
Nicodemns,  of  Peter  and  John,  of  the  other  disciples,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  loving  women  who  only  waited  for  the  first  streak  of 
Easter  light  to  do  their  last  service  of  love?  What  were  their 
thoughts  of  God — what  of  Christ — what  of  the  words  He  had 
spoken,  the  deeds  He  had  wrought,  the  salvation  He  had  come  to 
bring,  and  the  kingdom  of  heaven  which  He  was  to  open  to  all 
believers  ? 

613 


5U      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Behind  Him  liad  closed  the  gates  of  Hades ;  but  upon  them 
rather  than  upon  Him  had  fallen  the  shadows  of  death.  Yet 
they  still  loved  Him — and  stronger  than  death  was  love. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  620. 

** Death  Is  Dead;  Life  Is  Eternal'.*' 
Quivering  to  its  deepest  underground  fibers,  the  earth  sup- 
ported the  glowing  forms  of  God's  ethereal  envoys  ; — together 
they  stood,  the  fire  of  their  white  trauspareut  wings  quenching 
the  silver  reflex  of  the  sinking  moon, — their  radiant  faces  turned 
towards  the  closed  sepulchre  wherein  their  Master  slept.  Again 
the  great  wind  rushed  in  resonant  harp-like  chords  through 
heaven, — again  the  ground  rocked  and  trembled,  and  again  the 
thunder  sounded  its  deep  trump  of  wakening  eloquence.  And 
all  the  mystic  voices  of  the  air  seemed  whispering  the  great  truths 
about  to  be  made  manifest : — ''  Death  is  dead ;  Life  is  Eternal ! 
God  is  Love!" 

Barahbas,  A  Bream  of  the  World's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  251. 

The  Great  Disk  Stirred  in  Its  Groove 

They  passed  to  and  fro,  and  came  together  at  the  mouth  of  the 
sepulchre,  where  they  stood  on  guard. 

In  any  two  comrades  picked  for  united  duty,  there  is  liable  to 
be  one  finer  and  braver  than  the  other.  Of  these  two  men,  he 
who  was  the  quicker  of  eye  suddenly  went  the  color  of  terror, 
pointed  with  his  spear,  and  fell. 

The  stone  that  closed  the  tomb  was  moving. 

The  other  guardsman  sprang,  with  a  Roman  oath,  and  struck 
at  the  stone  with  his  sword,  but  he  did  not  hit  it.  The  great  disk 
began  to  stir  in  its  groove  and  slowly  rolled  out  to  one  side. 

The  moon  was  down,  but  the  sun  was  not  yet  up ;  yet  the 
garden  glowed ;  a  light  that  was  neither  of  dawn  nor  of  sunset 
rayed  upon  the  tomb.  The  leaves  of  the  vines  that  clung  about 
it  had  the  look  that  foliage  has  when  it  is  aflame,  and  every  flower 
in  the  garden  was  a  bell  or  cup  of  fire.  .  .  .  Glory  became 
translucent ;  trausluceuce  softly  outlined  — 

But  the  bolder  of  the  guards  turned  as  faint  as  his  mate,  and 
dropped  beside  him. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  400. 


THE  BRIGHTNESS  OF  HIS  RISING  515 

Sublimely  Beaotifol  He  Stood 

And  now  a  deep  silence  reigned.  All  the  soldiers  of  the  watch 
lay  stretched  on  the  ground  unconscious,  as  though  struck  dead  by 
lightning, — the  previous  mysterious  singing  of  the  birds  had 
ceased  ;  and  only  the  lambent  quivering  of  the  wing-like  glory 
surrounding  the  angelic  messengers,  seemed  to  make  an  expressed 
though  unheard  sound  as  of  music.  Then  ...  in  the  midst 
of  the  solemn  hush  .  .  .  the  great  stone  that  closed  the  tomb 
of  the  Crucified  trembled  .  .  .  and  was  suddenly  thrust  back 
like  a  door  flung  open  in  haste  for  the  exit  of  a  king  ...  . 
and  lo  !  .  .  .  a  third  great  Angel  joined  the  other  two  ! 
.  .  .  Sublimely  beautiful  He  stood, — the  Risen  from  the 
Dead !  .  .  .  gazing  with  loving  eyes  on  all  the  swooning, 
sleepiug  world  of  men — the  same  grand  countenance  that  had 
made  a  glory  of  the  cross  of  death,  now,  with  a  smile  of  victory, 
gave  poor  humanity  the  gift  of  everlasting  Life  !  The  grateful 
skies  brightened  above  Him,  earth  exhaled  its  choicest  odours 
through  every  little  pulsiug  leaf  and  scented  herb  and  tree  ;  nature 
exulted  in  the  touch  of  thiugs  eternal, — and  the  dim  pearly  light 
of  the  gradually  breaking  morn  fell  on  all  thiugs  with  a  greater 
purity,  a  brighter  blessedness  than  ever  had  invested  it  before. 
The  Man  Crucified  and  Risen,  now  manifested  in  Himself  the 
mystic  miugling  of  God  in  humanity,  and  taught  that  for  the 
powers  of  the  soul  set  free  from  sin,  there  is  no  limit,  no  vanquish- 
ment,  no  end.  No  more  eternal  partings  for  those  who  on  earth 
should  learn  to  love  each  other, — no  more  the  withering  hopeless- 
ness of  despair, — the  only  "death"  now  possible  to  redeemed 
mortality  being  "the  bondage  of  sin"  voluntarily  entered  into 
and  preferred  by  the  unbelieving.  And  from  this  self- wrought, 
self-chosen  doom  not  even  a  God  can  save. 

Bardbhas,  A  Dream  of  the  World 's  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  252. 

"Walking  in  His  Garden  in  the  Cool  of  the  Day** 

There  .  .  .  was  the  symbol  of  the  animal  man,  blindly 
conscious  of  the  creative  Soul  of  the  Universe,  yet  doubting  all 
manifestations  of  that  Soul,  and  thrusting  his  own  narrow  fears 
and  skepticisms  forward  to  obstruct  and  bar  out  the  very  presence 
of  the  Eternal.     And  [there]     .     .     .     stood  the  pure  and  stately 


516      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

embodiment  of  the  Spirit  of  God  made  human,— the  example 
of  a  perfect  manhood  ;  the  emblem  of  life  and  the  symbol  of 
Geuius,  which,  slandered  and  tortured,  and  slain  and  buried,  rises 
eternally  triumphant  over  evil  and  death. 

A  faint  sigh  stirred  the  air, — the  sigh  of  One  who  knew  that 
by  the  pitiless  will  of  Man,  He  should  be  wronged  and  spiritually 
re-crucified  for  ages  ;  and  then  the  risen  Light  of  the  World 
turned  away  and  glided  among  the  little  trembling  trees.  His 
figure  gradually  becoming  a  mere  misty  outline,  vague  and  un- 
defiuable,  as  though  it  were  the  floatiug  shadow  of  a  dream.  Two 
hours  had  yet  to  pass  ere  the  sun  would  rise, — meanwhile  a 
fragrant  freshness  sweetened  the  breaking  dawn,  and  all  nature 
remained  absorbed  in  a  sacred  silence  of  enraptured  worship, 
conscious  that  the  Master  and  Lord  of  Life  was  now,  as  once  be- 
fore iu  oldest  time,  ''  walking  in  His  garden  in  the  cool  of  the 
day." 

Barabbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World^s  Tragedy,  Marie  Corelli,  p.  254. 


Strange  Things  the  Women  Saw 

And  when  the  sabbath  was  past,  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary 
the  mother  of  James,  and  Salome,  bought  spices,  that  they  might 
come  aud  anoint  him. 

And  very  early  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  they  came  to  the 
tomb  when  the  sun  was  risen.  And  they  were  saying  among 
themselves,  Who  shall  roll  away  the  stone  for  us  from  the  door 
of  the  tomb  ?  and  looking  up,  they  see  that  the  stone  is  rolled 
back  :  for  it  was  exceeding  great. 

And  entering  the  tomb,  they  saw  a  young  man  sitting  on  the 
right  side,  arrayed  in  a  white  robe  ;  and  they  were  amazed. 

Aud  he  said  to  them.  Be  not  amazed :  you  seek  Jesus,  the 
Nazarene,  who  has  been  crucified  :  he  is  risen  ;  he  is  not  here : 
behold,  the  place  where  they  laid  him  ! 

But  go,  tell  his  disciples  and  Peter,  He  goes  before  you  into 
Galilee,  there  you  shall  see  him  as  he  said  to  you. 

And  they  went  out  and  fled  from  the  tomb  ;  for  trembling  and 
astonishment  had  come  upon  them  :  and  they  said  nothing  to  any 
one ;  for  they  were  afraid. 

Mark  xvi.  1-8.     Revised  Version,  etc. 


W.  A.  Bouguereaii 


WHAT    THE    WOMEN    SAW 


THE  BRIGHTNESS  OF  HIS  EISING  517 

**  Behold !  the  Stone  Had  Been  Rolled  away  !  ** 

{As  supposed  to  have  been  related  by  Blary  of  Blagdala) 

"When  we  reached  the  tomb,  behold,  the  mouth  was  open; 
and  the  stone  had  been  rolled  away,  and  was  lying  near  by.  In 
a  moment  it  flashed  into  our  mind  that  the  body  had  been  taken 
away.  We  said,  'Who  hath  done  this, — his  friends,  or  his 
enemies  ?  ' 

"We  thought  for  a  moment,  that  Joseph  had  come  earlier 
than  we  to  the  grave,  and  was  now  in  the  tomb,  washing  the 
body  before  it  should  be  wrapped  up  with  spices.  We  looked 
down  into  the  tomb.  All  was  silent,  and  it  seemed  empty. 
Then  I  said  to  the  other  women,  '  Wait  here,  and  I  will  run 
quickly,  and  overtake  Peter  and  John,  and  bring  them  back. '  So 
I  ran  quickly ;  and,  after  passing  a  little  way  beyond  the  city 
wall,  I  overtook  them  as  they  descended  into  the  Valley  of 
Hiunom.  I  said  to  them,  '  They  have  taken  away  my  master  out 
of  the  tomb,  and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him.'  " 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  433. 

What  John  and  Peter  Saw 

[Mary  Magdalene]  ran  therefore  and  came  to  Simon  Peter,  and 
to  the  other  disciple,  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  said  to  them,  They 
have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the  tomb,  and  we  know  not 
where  they  have  laid  him. 

Peter  therefore  went  forth,  and  the  other  disciple,  and  they 
went  toward  the  tomb. 

And  they  ran  both  together :  and  the  other  disciple  outran 
Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  tomb  ;  and  stooping  and  looking  in, 
he  saw  the  linen  cloths  lying  ;  yet  he  did  not  enter. 

Simon  Peter  therefore  also  came,  following  him,  and  entered 
the  tomb  ;  and  he  beheld  the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the  napkin, 
that  had  been  upon  his  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen  cloths,  but 
rolled  up  in  a  place  by  itself. 

Then  the  other  disciple  who  came  first  to  the  tomb  entered  also, 
and  he  saw  and  believed.  For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  scripture, 
that  he  must  rise  again  from  the  dead. 

So  the  disciples  went  away  again  to  their  own  home. 
John  XX.  2-10.     Revised,  with  Marginals  and  other  authorities. 


618       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Who  Could  Have  Removed  the  Body  ? 
"Who  removed  the  body  of  Christ  from  the  tomb  ?  Six  weeks 
afterwards,  Peter  preached  the  resurrection  of  Christ  iu  Jeru- 
salem. If  Christ's  enemies  had  removed  the  body,  they  could 
easily  have  silenced  Peter  ;  if  His  friends,  they  would  have  been 
guilty  of  such  fraud,  as  not  even  Strauss  deems  possible  in  the 
circumstances.  The  theories  of  deception,  delusion,  and  vision 
beiug  thus  impossible,  and  the  .  .  objection  to  tlie  fact,  as 
involving  a  miracle,  being  a  [beggiug  of  the  whole  question]  the 
historical  student  is  shut  up  to  the  simple  acceptance  of  the 
narrative.  To  this  conclusion  the  unpreparedness  of  the  disciples, 
their  previous  opinions,  their  new  testimony  unto  martyrdom, 
the  foundation  of  the  Christian  Church,  the  testimouy  of  so 
many,  singly  and  in  company,  and  the  series  of  recorded  mani- 
festatious  during  forty  days,  and  in  such  different  circumstances, 
where  mistake  was  impossible,  had  already  pointed  with  unerring 
certainty.  And  even  if  slight  discrepancies,  nay,  some  not 
strictly  historical  details,  which  might  have  been  the  outcome  of 
earliest  tradition  in  the  apostolic  Church,  could  be  shown  in  those 
accounts  which  were  not  of  eyewitnesses,  it  would  assuredly  not 
invalidate  the  great  fact  itself,  which  may  unhesitatingly  he  pro- 
nounced that  best  established  in  history. 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  628. 

Mary  Magdalene  Lingers  Near  the  Tomb 

But  Mary  was  standing  without  at  the  tomb  weeping :  so,  as 
she  wept,  she  stooped  and  looked  into  the  tomb  ;  and  she  beheld 
two  angels  in  white  sitting,  one  at  the  head,  and  one  at  the  feet 
where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain. 

And  they  say  to  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? 

She  said  to  them,  Because  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and 
I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him. 

When  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned  herself  back,  and  beheld 
Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus. 

Jesus  said  to  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  % 

She  supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  said  to  him,  Sir,  if  thou 
hast  carried  him  from  here,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  and 
I  will  take  him  away. 


THE  BRIGHTNESS  OF  HIS  RISING  519 

Jesus  said  to  her,  Mary. 

She  turned  herself,  aud  said  to  him  in  Hebrew,  Rabboni,  which 
is  to  say,  Teacher. 

Jesus  said  to  her.  Do  not  take  hold  of  me ;  for  I  am  not  yet 
ascended  to  the  Father  :  but  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  to  them, 
I  ascend  to  my  Father  aud  your  Father,  aud  my  God  and  your 
God. 

Mary  Magdaleue  came  and  told  the  disciples,  I  have  seen  the 
Lord  ;  aud  how  he  had  said  these  things  to  her. 

John  XX.  11-18.     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals  and  other  authorities. 

(Supposed  account  by  Mary  Mlagdalene) 

"I  remained  outside  the  tomb.  When  I  thought  of  all  the 
misery  which  had  come  on  us,  aud  that  now  we  had  not  even  the 
poor  consolation  of  burying  our  master,  I  thought  my  heart  would 
break,  and  I  burst  into  a  passion  of  weeping.  Weeping  thus,  I 
stooped  down  to  look  again  into  the  tomb,  to  be  sure  that  the 
body  was  really  gone ;  and  I  saw  dimly  two  white  figures,  as  I 
supposed,  sitting  a  little  way  apart,  and  I  thought  they  were 
angels.  And  a  voice  said  tenderly,  'Why  weepest  thou, 
woman?'  I  thought  the  voice  came  from  the  angels  in  the 
tomb,  and  I  answered,  '  Because  they  have  taken  away  my  mas- 
ter, and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him.'  But  instantly  I 
turned  round,  and  saw  a  man  standing  near,  with  no  clothing 
except  something  wrapped  round  the  body,  leaving  the  arms  and 
legs  bare,  as  a  laborer  when  he  goes  to  his  work.  Aud  the  man 
said  to  me  again,  in  the  same  tender  voice  I  had  supposed  to  come 
from  the  tomb,  the  same  words,  'Why  weepest  thou,  woman? 
Whom  seekest  thou  ? '  Thinking  it  was  the  man  who  worked  in 
the  garden  and  took  care  of  it,  and  that  perhaps  he  had  not  known 
of  his  master's  command  to  put  the  body  in  the  tomb,  I  suddenly 
thought,  '  Perhaps  he  has  removed  it ; '  and  I  said,  '  Sir,  if  thou 
hast  borne  him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  aud  I 
will  take  him  away.'  Then  he  said  to  me,  '  Mary  ! '  and  I  knew 
in  a  moment  who  it  was.  It  was  lie,  Thomas, — he  himself.  I 
could  not  be  mistaken  in  that  voice  :  there  never  was  such  a  voice 
in  the  world.  Aud  he  called  me  'Mary,'  just  as  he  has  so  often 
called  me,  but  oh  !  with  so  much  pity  and  tenderness,  that  I  shall 


520       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

never  forget  the  sound  of  that  word.     It  was  he  himself,  Thomas ; 
and  he  is  alive  !  " 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Belated  by  Thomas  Didymus,  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  p.  434. 

It  Seemed  to  Them  but  Idle  Talk 

And  they  entered  in,  and  found  not  the  body.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  while  they  were  perplexed  about  that,  behold,  two  men 
stood  by  them  in  dazzling  apparel :  and  as  they  were  frightened, 
and  bowed  down  their  faces  to  the  earth,  they  said  to  them. 
Why  do  you  seek  him  that  lives  among  the  dead  ?  He  is  not 
here,  but  is  risen  :  remember  how  he  spoke  to  you  when  he  was 
yet  in  Galilee,  saying  that  the  Son  of  man  must  be  delivered  up 
into  the  hands  of  cruel  meu,  and  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day 
rise  again. 

And  they  remembered  his  words,  and  returned  and  told  all 
these  things  to  the  eleven,  and  to  all  the  rest. 

And  these  words  appeared  in  their  sight  as  idle  talk  ;  and  they 
disbelieved  them. 

Luke  xxiv.  3-9,  and  11.     Revised,  with  Marginals  and  ancient  authorities. 

The  News  Spread  Fast 
The  news  of  the  Eesurrection  spread  fast  among  the  disciples  in 
Jerusalem  ;  still  it  required  time  to  reach  all,  and  even  when  it 
spread,  the  fact  was  too  great  to  be  realised  at  once,  and  too  con- 
trary to  previous  expectations,  to  be  other  than  slowly  understood. 
Deep  dejection  reigned  throughout  the  little  Christian  company. 
In  spite  of  all  their  Master's  warnings,  His  death  had  come  on 
them  by  surprise,  and,  as  it  seemed,  had  destroyed  everything. 
Cut  off  suddenly  from  all  the  hopes  of  an  earthly  kingdom  they 
had  cherished,  notwithstanding  the  constant  lessons  of  Christ's 
life  and  words,  and  deeply  distressed  by  the  loss  of  their  Teacher 
and  Head,  they  appeared  to  be  left  helpless,  and  paralyzed.  The 
horrors  of  the  past  few  days  engrossed  their  thoughts  and  conver- 
sation. They  believed  Him  now  in  Paradise,  but  no  one  dreamed 
of  a  resurrection  so  soon.  John  had,  indeed,  risen  in  some  meas- 
ure to  the  grandeur  of  the  truth,  and  Peter  had  even  seen  Him, 
but  the  bulk  of  the  disciples  had  lost  well  nigh  all  hope.  The 
report  of  the  empty  grave  and  of  the  vision  of  angels  and  of  their 


THE  BRIGHTNESS  OF  HIS  RISING  521 

announcement  that  He  was  alive,  was  insufSlcient  to  break  their 
gloom,  and  prolonged  their  perplexity  without  relieving  it. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  555. 

Bribing  the  Soldiers  "Who  Had  Guarded  the  Grave 

Now  while  they  were  going,  behold,  some  of  the  guard  came 
into  the  city,  and  told  the  chief  priests  all  the  things  that  had 
happened. 

And  when  they  were  assembled  with  the  elders,  and  had  taken 
counsel,  they  gave  large  money  to  the  soldiers,  saying,  Say,  His 
disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole  him  away  while  we  slept. 

And  if  this  come  to  a  hearing  before  the  governor,  we  will  per- 
suade him,  and  rid  you  of  care. 

So  they  took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  taught :  and  this 
saying  was  spread  abroad  among  the  Jews,  until  this  day. 

Matthew  xxviii.  11-15.  Revised  Version,  with  Marginals  and  other  authorities. 

Their  Only  Refage  Seemed  to  Be  in  Lies 

It  was  useless  for  the  guards  to  stay  beside  an  empty  grave. 
With  fear  for  the  consequences,  and  horror  at  all  that  they  had 
seen,  they  fled  to  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin  who  had  given 
them  their  secret  commission.  To  these  hardened  hearts  belief 
and  investigation  were  alike  out  of  the  question.  Their  only 
refuge  seemed  to  be  in  lies.  They  instantly  tried  to  hush  up  the 
whole  matter.  They  suggested  to  the  soldiers  that  they  must 
have  slept,  and  that  while  they  did  so  the  disciples  had  stolen 
the  body  of  Jesus. 

But  such  a  tale  was  too  infamous  for  credence.,  and  too  ridiculous 
for  publicity.  If  it  became  known,  nothing  could  have  saved  these 
soldiers,  supposing  them  to  have  been  Romans,  from  disgrace  and 
execution.  The  Sadducees  therefore  bribed  the  men  to  consult 
their  common  interests  by  burying  the  whole  matter  in  secrecy 
and  silence.  It  was  only  gradually  and  later,  and  to  the  initiated, 
that  the  base  calumny  was  spread.  Within  six  weeks  of  the 
Resurrection,  that  great  event  was  the  unshaken  faith  of  every 
Christian  ;  within  a  few  years  of  the  event  the  palpable  historic 
proofs  of  it  and  the  numerous  testimonies  of  its  reality — strength- 
ened by  a  memorable  vision  vouchsafed  to  himself — had  won 


522      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

assent  from  the  acute  and  Doble  intellect  of  a  young  Pharisaic 
zealot  and  persecutor  whose  name  was  Saul. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  Frederic  W.  Fiirrar,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  436. 

**We  Have  Crucified  a  Man,  but  We  Could  Not  Slay  a  God  !'' 
"The  Eesurrection "  had  been  a  theological  phrase  in  Pales- 
tine, accepted  by  some,  refused  by  others,  and  a  puzzle  to  all. 

Now  it  came  to  be  called  a  fact  of  history.     For  the  dead  had 

been  seen  abroad,  and  recognized. 

It  also  came,  but  not  at  once,  to  be  understood  that  this  mystery 

had  some  connection  with  the  other,  mightier  one,  which,  in  time, 

absorbed  the  interest  of  all  thoughtful  men. 

There  were  those  who  bowed  their  heads,  and  smote  their 

breasts  and  said  :  "  We  have  crucified  a  man.     But  we  could  not 

slay  a  God  !  " 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  405. 

Arguments  on  the  Resurrection 

The  most  remarkable  of  all  miracles  is  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  dead.  It  therefore  is  entitled  to  a  distinct  exami- 
nation. The  following  facts  in  the  case  are  acknowledged  by 
friends  and  foes  : 

1.  Jesus  Christ  frequently  predicted  the  circumstances  of  his 
death.  2.  He  actually  died.  3.  Was  buried.  4.  Was  miss- 
ing from  the  tomb. 

Now  there  are  but  three  conceivable  ways  by  which  the  body 
could  be  removed  from  the  sepulchre.  By  his  enemies,  by  his 
friends,  or  by  himself,  as  he  had  predicted. 

If  by  his  enemies,  their  motive  must  have  been  to  produce  the 
body,  and  thereby  confront  the  apostles,  and  convince  them  of 
fraud  in  their  Master.     But  the  body  was  not  produced  by  them. 

If  by  his  friends,  we  cannot  tell  for  what  purpose.  The  dead 
body  could  not  prove  to  them  or  others  that  he  was  risen  ;  bnt 
would,  on  the  contrary,  be  a  standing  and  visible  proof  against 
them. 

It  is  true  his  enemies  reported  that  his  friends  had  "  stole  him 
away."     But  when  their  report  is  examined  it  will  appear  false. 

1.  So  manifestly  improbable  is  the  report,  that  Matthew,  though 
he  faithfully  records  the  whole,  does  not  offer  a  syllable  to  refute  it. 


THE  BRIGHTNESS  OF  HIS  RISING  523 

2.  The  disciples  were  few  in  number,  aud  destitute  of  natural 
courage. 

Thej  were  generally  dismayed  aud  terrified  at  the  fate  of  their 
Master. 

Heuce,  wheu  he  was  apprehended,  they  all  forsook  him  aud 
fled.  Peter  followed  him  afar  off;  aud  wheu  accused  of  being  a 
disciple,  deuied  it  three  times  with  vehemence  aud  oaths.  Not 
one  attended  him  in  the  judgment  hall.  And  wheu  he  was 
crucified,  the  only  persons  that  ventured  to  stand  near  his  cross 
were  his  mother,  with  two  or  three  other  women,  and  St.  John. 

It  is  not  therefore  probable  that  they  would  be  found  at  such  a 
work,  especially  at  such  a  season  ;  for, 

3.  It  was  the  occasion  of  the  great  Passover,  when  Jerusalem 
was  full  of  people.  It  is  also  said  to  have  been  a  time  of  the  full 
moon. 

4.  It  is  not  probable  that  all  the  guard  would  fall  asleep  at 
once,  especially  as  they  were  in  the  open  air. 

5.  If  they  were  all  asleep,  they  could  not  depose  to  anything 
that  passed  mean  time.  Sleeping  witnesses !  They  could  not 
know  that  it  was  stolen  ;  or,  if  it  was,  hy  tvhom. 

6.  It  was  certain  death  to  Roman  soldiers  to  be  found  sleeping 
upon  guard.  Heuce  if  they  had  been  asleep,  they  would  not  have 
voluntarily  confessed  it. 

7.  If  the  reports  of  these  soldiers  had  been  believed,  the  rulers 
would  have  punished  them.     This  they  never  did. 

8.  If  the  soldiers  had  believed  their  own  story,  they  ever  after 
would  have  reproached  the  disciples  with  it.  This  they  were 
never  kuowu  to  do. 

If,  therefore,  the  body  could  be  removed  in  no  other  way,  it 
must  have  been  by  his  own  power,  as  he  had  previously  foretold. 

The  more  direct  evidence  of  this  great  miracle  is  contained  in 
the  eleven  distinct  appearances  of  Christ  after  his  burial.  These 
were  at  different  hours  of  the  day,  at  different  places,  and,  on  one 
occasion  to  five  hundred  persons. 

He  did  not  appear  to  them  silently,  but  talked  and  ate  with 
them,  showed  his  hands  and  feet,  made  them  handle  him,  etc.  ; 
held  several  long  conversations  with  them,  aud  at  last  ascended 
to  heaven  in  their  sight. 

A  Theological  Compend,  Rev.  Amos  Binney,  p.  27. 


524      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

"  The  Lord  Is  Risen  Indeed !  ** 
The  importance  of  all  this  cauuot  be  adequately  expressed  in 
words.  A  dead  Christ  might  have  been  a  teacher  and  wonder- 
worker, and  remembered  and  loved  as  such.  But  only  a  risen 
and  living  Christ  could  be  the  Saviour,  the  Life,  and  the  Life 
Giver — and  as  such  preached  to  all  men.  And  of  this  most 
blessed  truth  we  have  the  fullest  and  most  unquestionable  evi- 
dence. We  can,  therefore,  implicitly  yield  ourselves  to  the 
realism  of  that  most  sacred  and  blessed  fact.  This  is  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Church,  the  inscription  on  the  banner  of  her  armies, 
the  strength  and  comfort  of  every  Christian  heart,  and  the  grand 
hope  of  humanity : 

"The  Lord  is  risen  indeed." 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol!  II,  p.  629. 


XXXIX 

APPEAEANCES  OF  THE  EISEN  LOED 

Not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  His  appearing. 

—St.  Paul. 

The  **  Traveler  Unknown  **  on  the  Road  to  Emmaas 

And  behold,  two  of  them  were  going  that  very  day  to  a  village 
named  Emmaus,  which  was  threescore  furlongs  from  Jerusalem. 
And  they  communed  with  each  other  of  all  these  things  which 
had  happened. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  while  they  communed  and  questioned  to- 
gether, that  Jesus  himself  drew  near,  and  went  with  them.  But 
their  eyes  were  holden  that  they  should  not  know  him. 

And  he  said  to  them,  "What  words  are  these  that  you  ex- 
change one  with  another  as  you  walk  *?  " 

And  they  stood  still,  looking  sad.  And  one  of  them,  named 
Cleophas,  answering  said  to  him,  "Dost  thou  alone  sojourn  in 
Jerusalem  and  not  know  the  things  which  have  happened  there 
in  these  days'?  " 

And  he  said  to  them,  "  What  things  ?  " 

And  they  said  to  him,  "The  things  concerning  Jesus  the 
Nazareue,  who  was  a  prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word  before 
God  and  all  the  people  :  and  how  the  chief  priests  and  our  rulers 
delivered  him  up  to  be  condemned  to  death,  and  crucified  him. 
But  we  hoped  that  it  was  He  who  should  redeem  Israel.  Yes, 
and  besides  all  this,  it  is  now  the  third  day  since  these  things 
came  to  pass.  Moreover  certain  women  of  our  company  amazed 
us,  having  been  early  at  the  tomb  ;  and  when  they  found  not  his 
body,  they  came,  saying  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision  of 
angels,  who  said  that  he  was  alive. 

"And  certain  of  those  who  were  with  us  went  to  the  tomb, 
and  found  it  just  as  the  women  had  said :  but  they  did  not  see 
him." 

625 


526      THE  STOHY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

And  he  said  to  them,  ''O  foolish  men,  and  slo\r  of  heart  to 
believe  after  all  that  the  prophets  have  spokeu  !  Was  it  not 
necessary  for  the  Christ  to  suffer  these  things,  and  to  enter  into 
his  glory*?  " 

And  beginning  from  Moses  and  from  all  the  prophets,  he  inter- 
preted to  them  in  all  the  scriptures  the  things  concerning  himself. 

And  they  came  near  the  village,  to  which  they  were  going  :  and 
he  made  as  though  he  would  go  farther. 

And  they  constrained  him,  saying,  "Stay  with  us,  for  it  is 
toward  evening,  and  the  day  is  now  far  spent." 

And  he  went  in  to  stay  with  them. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  had  sat  down  with  them  to 
supper,  he  took  the  loaf,  and  blessed  it  and  breaking  it  he  gave 
some  to  them. 

And  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  him  ;  and  he 
vanished  out  of  their  sight. 

And  they  said  one  to  another,  "Was  not  our  heart  burning 
within  us,  while  he  spoke  to  us  in  the  way,  while  he  opened  the 
scriptures  to  us?  " 

And  they  rose  up  that  very  hour,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem, 
and  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  aud  those  who  were  with 
them,  saying,  "The  Lord  is  risen  indeefd,  aud  has  appeared  to 
Simon." 

And  they  rehearsed  the  things  by  the  way,  and  how  he  was 
known  by  them  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread. 

Luke  xxiv.  13-35.     Revised,  with  Marginals  and  modernised. 


"What  of  the  Great  New  Hope  of  the  Kingdom  ? 

It  was  the  early  afternoon  of  that  spring  day  perhaps  soon  after 
the  early  meal,  when  two  men  from  that  circle  of  disciples  left 
the  city.  Their  narrative  affords  deeply  interesting  glimpses 
into  the  circle  of  the  Church  in  those  first  days.  The  impression 
conveyed  to  us  is  of  utter  bewilderment,  in  which  only  some 
things  stood  out  unshaken  and  firm  :  love  to  the  person  of  Jesus  ; 
love  among  the  brethren  ;  mutual  confidence  and  fellowship  ; 
together  with  a  dim  hope  of  something  yet  to  come — if  not  Christ 
in  His  kingdom,  yet  some  manifestation  of,  or  approach  to  it. 
The  apostolic  college  seems  broken  up  into  units  5  even  the  two 


APPEARANCES  OF  THE  RISEN  LORD  527 

chief  apostles,  Peter  and  Johu,  are  only  '' certain  of  tbem  that 
were  with  us."  And  no  wonder ;  for  they  are  no  longer  ''  apos- 
tles"— sent  out.  Who  is  to  send  them  forth?  Not  a  dead 
Christ !  And  what  would  be  their  commission,  and  to  whom 
and  whither  ?  And  above  all  rested  a  cloud  of  utter  uncertainty 
and  perplexity.  Jesus  loas  a  prophet  mighty  in  word  and  deed 
before  God  and  all  the  people.  But  their  rulers  had  crucified 
Him.  What  was  to  be  their  new  relation  to  Jesus  ;  what  to  their 
rulers  %  And  what  of  the  great  new  hope  of  the  kingdom,  which 
they  had  connected  with  Him  ? 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  637. 

Standing  in  Theff  Midst 

When  therefore  it  was  evening,  on  that  day,  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  and  when  the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples  were, 
for  fear  of  the  Jews,  Jesus  came  and  stood  in  their  midst,  and 
said  to  them,  Peace  be  unto  you. 

And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  showed  them  his  hands  and  his 
side. 

The  disciples  therefore  were  glad,  when  they  saw  the  Lord. 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  them  again.  Peace  be  unto  you  :  as  the 
Father  has  sent  me,  even  so  I  send  you. 

And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on  them,  and  said  to 
them.  Receive  the  Holy  Spirit :  whose  soever  sins  you  forgive, 
they  are  forgiven  them  ;  whose  soever  sins  you  retain,  they  are 
retained. 

But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  the  Twin,  was  not  with 
them  when  Jesus  came.  The  other  disciples  therefore  said  to 
him,  We  have  seen  the  Lord. 

But  he  said  to  them,  Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print 
of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put 
my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe. 

John  XX.  19-25.     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

Thomas  the  Twin  Was  Not  There 

At  this  meeting,  Thomas  surnamed  the  Twin  was  not  present. 
The  cause  of  his  absence  is  not  intimated  j  but  we  conjecture  that 


528      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

he  was  just  then  in  no  mood  to  associate  with  his  fellow-dis- 
ciples. He  was  evidently  of  a  melancholy,  despondent  temper  ; 
and  the  fearful  scenes  of  Passion  Week  had  probably  plunged 
him  into  the  deepest  mental  distress.  He  was  brave,  loving,  and 
constant,  but  lacking  in  hope  and  faith.  Indeed,  he  is  well  called 
the  skeptical  apostle.  When  the  other  disciples  said  to  him, 
"We  have  seen  the  Lord,"  he  replied,  "Except  I  shall  see  in 
His  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  His 
side,  I  will  not  believe." 

Have  we,  then  a  Hume,  or  a  Eenan  among  the  apostles? 
Though  ten  of  his  colleagues  testified  that  they  had  seen  their 
Master  alive,  he  would  not  believe.  He  would  not  be  convinced 
by  any  evidence  short  of  sensation  :  nay,  he  would  not  receive 
the  testimony  of  a  single  sense  ;  he  must  not  only  see  but  handle  ; 
he  must  put  his  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  his 
hand  into  His  side.  There  is  something  wonderfully  modern  in 
this.  A  Voltaire,  or  a  Strauss,  could  not  have  demanded  more 
overpowering  evidence.  Even  previous  to  the  death  of  Christ, 
the  tendency  of  Thomas  to  call  in  question  everything  spiritual 
and  mysterious  had  been  clearly  disclosed.  When  Jesus  said 
that  He  was  going  to  His  Father,  and  by  a  way  which  they  all 
knew,  Thomas  broke  in  with  an  objection  :  "Lord,  we  know  not 
whither  Thou  goest,  and  how  can  we  know  the  way  ?" 
Immanuel,  Zachary  Eddy,  D.  D.,  p.  742. 


The  Convincing  of  Thomas 

And  after  eight  days  again  his  disciples  were  within,  and 
Thomas  with  them. 

Jesus  came,  the  doors  being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and 
said,  Peace  be  unto  you. 

Then  he  said  to  Thomas,  Eeach  hither  thy  finger,  and  see  my 
hands  ;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  put  it  in  to  my  side  :  and 
be  not  faithless,  but  believing. 

Thomas  answered  and  said  to  him,  My  Lord  and  my  God  ! 

Jesus  said  to  him,  Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  be- 
lieved. Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  be- 
lieved. 

John  XX.  26-29.     Revised  Version,  with  Marginals. 


APPEARANCES  OF  THE  RISEN  LORD         529 
**  Thoa  Aft  My  God  Indeed !  ** 

Where  gathered  His  disciples  true, 
There  in  the  midst  Christ  stood  to  view, 
Proclaiming  :  "  Peace  be  unto  you  ! " 
Hallelujah  ! 

When  Didymus  now  heard  it  said, 
That  Jesus  rising  left  the  dead, 
'  Strong  doubt  possessed  his  heart  and  head. 

Hallelujah  ! 

"  See,  Thomas,  see  My  wounded  side, 
These  hands  and  feet ! ' '  the  Saviour  cried, 
"  Doubt  not  :  believe;  in  Me  confide." 
Hallelujah ! 

When  Thomas  searched  with  earnest  heed 
Feet,  hands,  and  side,  from  doubting  freed, 
He  said  :  "  Thou  art  my  God  indeed  !  " 
Hallelujah  ! 

Let  Zion's  Sons  and  Daughters  Say,  Translated  from  the  Latin  by  Prof. 
Thomas  C.  Porter.    Christ  in  Song,  Philip  SchafE,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  255. 

The  Reconfirming  of  Petet 

After  these  things  Jesus  showed  himself  again  to  the  disciples 
at  the  sea  of  Tiberias  ;  and  he  manifested  himself  in  this  way. 
There  were  together  Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  the  Twin, 
and  Nathanael  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of  Zehedee,  and 
two  other  of  his  disciples. 

Simon  Peter  said  to  them,  I  am  going  a-fishiug. 

They  say  to  him.  We  also  are  coming  with  thee. 

They  went  forth,  and  got  into  the  boat ;  and  that  night  they 
caught  nothing.  But  when  day  was  breaking,  Jesus  stood  on  the 
beach  :  yet  the  disciples  did  not  know  that  it  was  Jesus. 

Jesus  therefore  said  to  them,  ''  Children,  have  you  anything  to 
eat?" 

They  answered  him,  "No." 

And  he  said  to  them,  "  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the 
boat,  and  you  shall  find." 

They  cast  therefore,  and  now  they  were  not  able  to  draw  it  for 
the  multitude  of  fishes. 


530      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

That  disciple  therefore  whom  Jesus  loved  said  to  Peter,  "It  is 
the  Lord  !" 

So  when  Simon  Peter  heard  that  it  was  the  Lord,  he  tied  his 
tuuic  about  him  (for  he  was  uaked),  and  threw  himself  into  the  sea. 
But  the  other  disciples  came  in  the  little  boat  (for  they  were  not 
far  from  the  land,  but  about  two  hundred  cubits  off),  dragging 
the  net  full  of  fishes. 

So  when  they  got  out  upon  the  land,  they  saw  a  fire  of  charcoal 
there,  and  a  fish  laid  thereon,  and  a  loaf. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  "  Bring  some  of  the  fish  which  you  have 
just  caught." 

Simon  Peter  therefore  went  aboard,  and  drew  the  net  to  land, 
full  of  great  fishes,  a  hundred  and  fifty-three :  and  for  all  there 
were  so  many,  the  net  was  not  torn. 

Jesus  said  to  them,  ''  Come  to  breakfast." 

And  none  of  the  disciples  dared  inquire  of  him.  Who  art  thou? 
knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord. 

Jesus  came,  and  took  the  loaf,  and  gave  them  some,  and  the  fish 
likewise. 

This  is  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus  was  manifested  to  the 
disciples,  after  he  had  risen  from  the  dead. 

So  when  they  had  breakfasted,  Jesus  said  to  Simon  Peter, 
"Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these?  " 

He  said  to  him,  "Yes,  Lord  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee." 

He  said  to  him,  "  Feed  my  lambs." 

He  said  to  him  again  a  second  time,  "Simon,  sou  of  Jonas, 
lovest  thou  me?" 

He  said  to  him,  "  Yes,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee." 

Jesus  said  to  him,  "  Feed  my  sheep." 

He  said  to  him  the  third  time,  "Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest 
thou  me?" 

Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said  to  him  the  third  time, 
"Lovest  thou  me?  "  And  he  said  to  him,  "  Lord,  thou  knowest 
all  things  ;  Thou  perceivest  that  I  love  thee." 

Jesus  said  to  him,  "Feed  my  sheep.  Verily,  verily  I  say  to 
thee.  When  thou  wast  young,  thou  didst  dress  thyself,  and  walked 
whither  thou  wouldest :  but  when  thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt 
stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  another  shall  dress  thee,  and  carry 
thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not." 


APPEARANCES  OF  THE  RISEN  LORD         531 

Now  this  he  said,  signifying  by  what  manner  of  death  h«  should 
glorify  God. 

And  when  he  had  spoken  this,  he  said  to  him,  "Follow  me." 

Peter,  turning  about,  saw  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  fol- 
lowing ;  who  leaned  back  on  his  breast  at  the  supper,  and  said 
then,  "  Lord,  who  is  he  that  is  betraying  thee?  " 

Peter  therefore  seeing  him  said  to  Jesus,  "  Lord,  and  this  man — 
what!" 

Jesus  said  to  him,  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is 
that  to  thee  1  follow  thou  me  ! " 

This  saying  therefore  went  forth  among  the  brethren,  that  that 
disciple  should  not  die  :  yet  Jesus  said  not  to  him,  that  he  should 
not  die  ;  but,  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to 
thee?" 

This  is  the  disciple  that  bears  witness  of  these  things,  and 
wrote  these  things  :  and  we  know  that  his  witness  is  true. 

John  xxi.  1-24.    Revised,  using  Marginals  and  other  authorities,  modernised. 

"They  Will  Lead  You  Where  You  Would  Not  Go" 
"  Hear  now,"  He  continued,  "  what  awaits  you.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Hitherto  you  have  girded  yourself  and 
gone  whither  you  pleased,  and  you  do  so  still ;  but,  in  your  old 
age  you  will  stretch  forth  your  hands  helplessly,  and  will  give 
yourself  up  to  others,  who  will  gird  you  with  chains,  and  lead 
you  off  where  you  would  fain  not  go — to  the  place  of  judgment." 
An  assurance  of  safety  for  the  present,  and  a  timely  warning  of 
what  the  future  would  bring  !  There  was  a  brief  pause,  and  then 
the  words,  "  Follow  me,"  summoned  the  apostle  once  more,  as  of 
old :  but  spoken  this  time,  by  the  risen  and  glorified  Saviour — 
it  called  him  to  follow  Him  in  a  martyr's  death,  and  then,  to  the 
glory  beyond. 

Peter,  taking  the  last  words  literally,  fancied  he  was  to  follow 
his  Master  as  before,  and  as  Jesus  seemed  now  leaving  them,  had 
done  so  a  few  paces,  when,  turning  round,  he  saw  John  coming 
after  him.  Unwilling  to  separate  from  one  endeared  by  long 
companionship  as  a  fellow-disciple,  he,  therefore,  ventured  to 
ask,  in  hope  that  John  too,  would  be  allowed  to  come  with  them 
— "Lord,  what  will  this  man  do?"  But  things  were  not  as  in 
old  days  of  common  familiar  communion.     "  If  I  should  please 


532       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

that  he  live  till  my  returD,  why  should  you  seek  to  know  it?" 
replied  Jesus.  "From  you  I  require  that  you  follow  me  in  the 
path  in  which  I  have  gone  before  you. ' ' 

I'he  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunuingham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  568. 

"Lo,  I  Am  v/ith  Yow  Alwayl** 
But  the  eleven  disciples  went  into  Galilee,  to  the  mountain 
where  Jesus  had  appointed  them.     And  when  they  saw  him, 
they  worshiped  him  :  but  some  doubted. 

And  Jesus  came  to  them  and  spoke  to  them,  saying,  "  All 
authority  has  been  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go, 
therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations,  baptizing  them 
into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy 
Spirit:  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatever  I  com- 
manded you  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world." 

Matthew  xxviii.  16-20.     Revised,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

**  On  Thee  Has  the  Lord  a  Great  "Work  to  Complete  \  ** 
"Earth,  thou  grain  of  sand  on  the  shore  of  the  Universe  of 
God ;  thou  Bethlehem,  amongst  the  princely  cities  of  the 
heavens ;  thou  art,  and  remaiuest,  the  Loved  One  amongst  ten 
thousand  suns  and  worlds,  the  Chosen  of  God .  Thee  will  He 
again  visit,  and  then  thou  wilt  prepare  a  throne  for  Him,  as  thou 
gavest  Him  a  manger  cradle  ;  in  His  radiant  glory  wilt  thou  re- 
joice, as  thou  didst  once  drink  His  blood  and  His  tears,  and 
mourn  His  death  !  On  thee  has  the  Lord  a  great  work  to  com- 
plete ! " 

Das  Leben  Jcsu,  Pressel,  Translated  by  Cunuingham  Geikie,  D.  D,,  p.  558. 

Carried  op  into  Heaven 

And  he  said  to  them.  These  are  my  words  which  I  spoke  to  you, 
while  I  was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things  must  needs  be  fulfilled 
which  are  written  in  the  law  of  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and  the 
psalms,  concerning  me. 

Then  he  opened  their  mind,  that  they  might  understand  the 
scriptures  ;  and  he  said  to  them.  Thus  it  is  written  that  the  Christ 
should  suffer  and  rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third  day ;  and 
that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his 


APPEARANCES  OF  THE  RISEN  LORD         533 

name  to  all  nations.  Beginning  from  Jerusalem,  you  are  wit- 
nesses of  these  things.  And  behold  I  send  forth  the  promise  of 
my  Father  upon  you :  but  tarry  in  the  city,  until  you  are  clothed 
with  power  from  on  high. 

And  he  led  them  out  until  they  were  opposite  Bethany :  and 
he  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  blessed  them. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  while  he  blessed  them,  he  parted  from 
them,  and  was  carried  up  into  heaven.  And  they  worshiped 
him,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy :  and  were  con- 
tinually in  the  temple,  blessing  God. 

Luke  xxiv.  44-53.     Revised,  with  Marginals,  etc. 

Twelve  Manifestations  after  He  Arose  from  the  Dead 

(Note.  Mosb  authorities  give  eleven  appearances,  the  tvrelfth  being  cited 
from  Paul's  First  Letter  to  the  Corinthians,  xv,  8.) 

(1)  To  Mary  Magdalene,  in  the  garden  of  the  tomb. 

^^  Mary .'  "     "  Touch  me  not.^^ 

(2)  To  the  women  returning  homeward. 

"  Go,  tell  my  brethren  that  they  go  into  Galilee.'^ 

(3)  To  the  two  disciples  on  the  way  to  Emmaus. 

''  Ought  not  the  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things  ?  " 

(4)  To  Peter. 

And  that  he  was  seen  of  Cej)has,  then  of  the  twelve. 
1  Corinthians  xv.  5. 

(5)  To  the  Ten  (Judas  and  Thomas  being  absent)  in  the  upper 

room. 
"  Feace  be  unto  you ! "     ^^  Receive  the  Holy  Spirit ! " 

(6)  To  the  Eleven  in  the  upper  room. 

' '  Peace  be  unto  you ! ' '     (To  Thomas. )     ' '  Blessed  are  they 
that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed J^ 

(7)  To  seven  apostles  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 

(To  Peter. )     ' '  Feed  my  lambs. ' ' 

(8)  To  the  Eleven  on  a  mountain  in  Galilee. 

'''■All  power  is  given  unto  me."     ^^Go  and  disciple  all 

nations.''^ 
^^Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.'' ^ 


534      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

(9)     To  five  hundred  in  Galilee  or  Bethany. 

After  that  he  was  seen  of  above  five  hundred  brethren  at 
once.     1  Corinthians  xv.  6. 

(10)  To  James. 

After  that  he  was  seen  of  James.     1  Corinthians  xv.  7. 

(11)  The  Ascension,  near  Bethany. 

(12)  To  Paul. 

And  last  of  all  he  was  seen  of  me  also,  as  of  one  born 
out  of  due  time.     1  Corinthians  xv.  8. 
W.  W. 

Paul's  Summary  of  the  Appearances 

For  I  delivered  unto  you  first  of  all  that  which  I  also  received, 
how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  scriptures ; 
and  that  he  was  buried,  and  that  he  rose  again  the  third  day 
according  to  the  scriptures  : 

And  that  he  was  seen  of  Cephas,  then  of  the  twelve  :  after  that, 
he  was  seen  of  above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once ;  of  whom 
the  greater  part  remain  unto  this  present,  but  some  are  fallen 
asleep. 

After  that,  he  was  seen  of  James ;  and  then  of  all  the  apostles. 

And  last  of  all  he  was  seen  of  me  also,  as  of  one  born  out  of 
due  time. 

1  Corinthians  xv.  3-8.     Authorised  Version. 

He  Has  Left  Us  a  Rich  World  of  Thoughts 

He  has  left  us  not  only  a  life,  but  a  rich  world  of  thoughts  in 
which  all  the  best  inspirations  and  longings  of  mankind  meet  and 
are  reflected.  It  is  the  expression  of  the  purest  and  directest 
truths  which  rise  in  the  depths  of  the  soul,  and  they  are  made 
common  to  all  mankind  by  being  uttered  in  the  simplest  and  most 
popular  form. 

The  Historic  Christ,  Theodor  Keim,  p,  184. 

Qosing  "Words  of  the  Fourth  Gospel 

Many  other  signs,  therefore,  Jesus  did  in  the  presence  of  the 
disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book :  but  these  are  written, 


APPEARANCES  OF  THE  RISEN  LORD         535 

that  you  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Sou  of  God ; 
aud  that  believiug  you  may  have  life  iu  his  uam«. 

And  there  are  also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  which 
if  they  should  be  written  every  one,  I  suppose  that  even  the  world 
itself  would  not  contain  the  books  that  should  be  written. 
John  XX.  30,  31  ;  and  xxi.  25.     Revised  Version,  etc. 

So  Ends  the  Gospel  of  the  King 

So  ends  the  Gospel  of  the  King.  He  came  and  declared  the 
laws  of  the  Kingdom,  and  revealed  its  beauty  iu  His  life,  aud  its 
beneficence  in  His  deeds.  His  own,  according  to  the  flesh,  would 
have  noue  of  Him,  and  in  uuholy  coalition  with  Gentile  powers, 
uttered  the  verdict,  "  We  will  not  have  this  Man  to  reign  over 
us." 

Yet  the  final  note  is  not  that  of  man's  rejection  of  the  King,  but 

of  God's  exaltation  of  Him  ;  and  we  are  gathered  around  the  risen 

One,  and  cry  no  longer  as  the  expression  of  a  desire.  Long  live 

the  King  ;  but  as  the  proclamation  of  a  certainty,  For  ever  lives 

the  King. 

The  Analyzed  Bible,  The  Rev.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  D.  D.,  The  Gospel  Ac- 
cording to  Matthew,  p.  307. 


He  Has  Left  Us  the  August  Opporttinity  of  Evetlasting  Life 

Thus  vanished  from  the  earth  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  Son  of 
God. 

Evil  never  touched  his  spirit.  Corruption  did  not  approach 
his  body.  Even  his  ashes  were  not  permitted  to  remain  in  the 
soil  of  the  land  that  had  slain  him. 

He  was  born  in  denial  of  the  laws  of  life.  He  died  in  de- 
fiance of  the  laws  of  death.  He  was  Lord  of  law.  Ideal 
of  sacrifice,  Master  of  suffering,  the  grandest  intellect,  the 
purest  heart  that  this  low  world  has  known — its  Supreme  Soul — 
he  passed. 

He  has  left  us  the  faith  which  bears  his  name.  He  has  left  us 
the  august  opportunity  of  everlasting  life. 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  p.  412. 


536      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Heaven's  Golden  Day  Has  Broken ! 

And  so  their  last  question  to  Him,  ere  He  had  parted  from 
them,  was  also  answered,  and  with  blessed  assurance.  Rever- 
ently they  worshiped  Him ;  then,  with  great  joy,  returned  to 
Jerusalem.  So  it  was  all  true,  all  real — and  Christ  "sat  down  at 
the  right  hand  of  God  ! "  Henceforth,  neither  doubting,  ashamed, 
nor  yet  afraid  they  ''were  continually  in  the  Temple,  blessing 
God." 

"And  they  went  forth  and  preached  everywhere,  the  Lord 
working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  by  the  signs  that 
followed.     Amen. " 

Amen]!  It  is  so.  Ring  out  the  bells  of  heaven  ;  sing  forth  the 
angelic  welcome  of  worship ;  carry  it  to  the  utmost  bounds  of 
earth  !  Shine  forth  from  Bethany,  Thou  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
and  chase  away  earth's  mist  and  darkness,  for  Heaven's  golden 
day  has  broken  ! 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Ifessiah,  Alfred  Edersheim,  M.  A.  Oxon., 
D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  Vol.  II,  p.  652. 


XL 

THE  SON  OF  MAN  AND  GOD 

Faith  has  yet  its  Olivet, 
Aud  love  its  Galilee. 

—  Whittier. 

The  Fourfold  Gospel 
From  Canon  Farrar's  Messages  of  the  Books  we  take  the  follow- 
ing descriptions  : 

''St.  Matthew's  is  the  Gospel  for  the  Jews,  the  Gospel  of  the 
past,  the  Gospel  which  sees  in  Christianity  a  fulfilment  of  Judaism, 
the  Gospel  of  discourses,  the  Gospel  which  represents  Christ  as 
the  Messiah  of  the  Jew.     .     .     . 

"St.  Mark's  is  the  Gospel  for  the  Eomaus,  the  Gospel  of  the 
present,  the  Gospel  of  incident,  the  anecdotal  Gospel,  the  Gospel 
which  represents  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  and  Lord  of  the 
world.     .     .     . 

"St.  Luke's  is  the  Gospel  for  the  Greeks,  the  Gospel  of  the 
future,  the  Gospel  of  progressive  Christianity,  of  the  universality 
and  gratuitousness  of  the  Gospel,  the  historic  Gospel,  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  as  the  Good  Physician  and  the  Saviour  of  mankind.     .     .     . 

"St.  John's  is  j)reemiuently  the  Gospel  for  the  Church,  the 
Gospel  of  eternity,  the  spiritual  Gospel,  the  Gospel  of  Christ  as 
the  Eternal  Son,  and  the  Incarnate  Word." 

Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  for  1900,  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.  D.,  p.  9. 

How  Mark  Wrote  the  Good  News 
Mark  began  to  write  his  story  of  the  Good  News  with  extreme 
modesty  and  brevity.  He  began  with  the  teaching  of  John,  and 
hurried  right  into  the  heart  of  his  record.  His  story  included  no 
account  of  the  birth  of  Jesus,  or  of  his  early  life,  or  of  his  parent- 
age, or  descent  from  David ;  and  it  contained  no  formal  dis- 
courses, only  a  few  parables,  and  not  very  many  miracles.  It 
was  a  concise  and  nearly  colorless  account  of  the  story  of  Jesus 

537 


538       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

as  it  had  been  received  by  a  youug  man  from  those  who  were 
with  Jesus,  written  with  no  attempt  at  precise  historical  order, 
but  only  to  set  down  the  main  things  which  a  young  man  had 
heard  from  those  older  than  himself. 

It  was  so  brief  that  it  came  to  be  undervalued.  Matthew  used 
it  aud  copied  almost  the  whole  of  it  into  his  longer  Gospel,  which 
circulated  freely  among  the  Jews  ;  Luke  copied  very  nearly  all 
of  it  in  his  beautiful  story,  written  for  the  Gentiles ;  aud  these 
two  became  so  popular,  oue  among  the  Jews  aud  the  other  among 
the  Gentiles,  that  they  quite  overshadowed  the  shorter  aud 
simpler  Gospel  on  which  both  of  them  had  depended.  There 
came  a  time,  indeed,  when  there  appears  to  have  been  only  a 
single  copy  of  Mark's  Gospel  that  was  knowu  to  exist  in  the 
possession  of  the  early  Church,  aud  that  was  mutilated,  for  the 
last  chapter  had  been  torn  off.  We  do  not  know  how  Mark  fin- 
ished his  story  of  the  Eesurrectiou,  for  his  account  ends  appar- 
ently at  the  eighth  verse  of  the  sixteenth  chapter,  and  the  re- 
maining twelve  verses  are  a  later  addition  written  by  some  one  in 
an  attempt  to  suj)ply  the  missing  verses  of  Mark's  narrative. 

The  Boy    Who   Ran   Away,  William  E.  Barton,  D.  D.,   The  Outlook,  No- 
vember 18,  1911,  p.  667. 

Did  Mary  the  Mother  Tell  Her  Story  to  Lwke  ? 

If  we  are  riglit  in  our  view  as  to  Luke's  authority  and  as  to  the 
way  in  which  that  authority  reached  him,  viz.,  by  oral  com- 
munication, it  appears  that  either  the  Virgin  was  still  living 
when  Luke  Vas  in  Palestine  during  the  years  57  and  58 — which  is 
quite  possible  on  the  supposition  that  she  was  quite  young  when 
Jesus  was  born — or  Luke  had  conversed  with  some  one  very 
intimate  with  her,  who  knew  her  heart  and  could  give  him  what 
was  almost  as  good  as  first-hand  information.  Beyond  that  we 
cannot  safely  go  ;  but  yet  one  may  venture  to  state  the  impres- 
sion— though  it  may  be  generally  considered  merely  fanciful — 
that  the  intermediary,  if  one  existed,  is  more  likely  to  have  been 
a  woman  than  a  man.  There  is  a  womanly  spirit  in  the  whole 
narrative,  which  seems  inconsistent  with  the  transmission  from 
man  to  man,  and  which,  moreover,  is  an  indication  of  Luke's 
character  :  he  had  a  marked  sympathy  with  women. 

Was  Christ  Born  at  Bethlehem  ?    W.  M.  Ramsey,  M.  A.,  D.  C.  L.,  p.  88. 


THE  SON  OF  MAN  AND  GOD  539 

Fable  That  Each  Apostle  Inserted  an  Article  in  the  Creed 

It  is  affirmed  by  Ambrose,  "that  the  twelve  Apostles,  as 
skilful  artificers,  assembled  together  and  made  a  key  by  their 
common  advice,  that  is,  the  Creed  ;  by  which  the  darkness  of 
the  devil  is  disclosed,  tbat  the  light  of  Christ  may  appear." 

Others  fable  that  every  apostle  inserted  an  article,  by  which 
the  creed  is  divided  into  twelve  articles  ;  and  a  sermon,  fathered 
upon  St.  Austin,  and  quoted  by  Lord  Chancellor  King,  fabricates 
that  each  particular  article  was  thus  inserted  by  each  particular 
apostle : — 

Peter. — 1.     I  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty  ; 

John. — 2.     Maker  of  heaven  and  earth  ; 

James. — 3.     And  in  Jesus  Christ  his  only  Son,  our  Lord  ; 

Andrew. — 4.  "Who  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  born  of 
the  Virgin  Mary ; 

Philip. — 5.  Suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  was  crucified,  dead 
and  buried ; 

Thomas. — 6.  He  descended  into  hell,  the  third  day  he  rose 
again  from  the  dead  ; 

Bartholomew. — 7.  He  ascended  into  heaven,  sitteth  at  the  right 
hand  of  God  the  Father  Almighty  ; 

Matthew. — 8.  From  thence  he  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick 
and  the  dead  5 

James,  the  son  of  Alpheus. — 9.  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 
the  holy  Catholic  Church  ; 

Simon  Zelotes. — 10.  The  communion  of  saints,  the  forgiveness 
of  sins ; 

Jude,   the  brother  of   James.— 11.     The  resurrection  of  the 

body; 

Matthias. — 12,     And  the  life  everlasting.     Amen. 
The  Apocryplial  [Spurious]  New  Testament,  p.  91. 


540       THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

■\ 

Traditional  Deaths  of  the  Apostles 

Judas' s  death  is  described  by  the  evangelists. 

Matthew  suffered  martyrdom  by  the  sword  iu  Ethiopia. 

Johu  was  put  into  a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil,  but  escaped  death 
and  was  banished  to  Patmos. 

Peter  was  crucified  at  Jerusalem  with  his  head  downward. 

James  was  beheaded  at  Jerusalem. 

James  the  Less  was  thrown  from  a  pinnacle  of  the  Temple  and 
beaten  to  death  below. 

Philip  was  hanged  to  a  pillar  iu  Phrygia. 

Bartholomew  was  flayed  alive. 

Andrew  was  bound  to  a  cross,  whence  he  preached  to  his  perse- 
cutors till  he  died. 

Thomas  was  run  through  the  body  at  Coromandel,  India. 

Jude  was  shot  to  death  with  arrows. 

Simon  the  Cauaantean  is  believed  to  have  suffered  martyrdom 
iu  Eome. 
AV.  W. 

Many  Priests  Joined  the  Disciples  of  Jesus 

The  higher  ranks  of  the  priesthood — rich  and  haughty — con- 
tributed to  the  degradation  of  their  poorer  brethren,  whom  they 
despised,  oppressed,  and  plundered.  Nor  was  the  general  char- 
acter of  the  priesthood  unaffected  by  the  corruption  of  the  times  ; 
as  a  class,  they  were  blind  guides  of  the  bliud.  Not  a  few,  how- 
ever, in  so  numerous  a  bodj',  must  have  retained  more  or  less 
religious  sensibility,  for  we  find  that  many  even  of  the  members 
of  the  Jerusalem  Council  were  so  alive  to  the  corruption  of  the 
hierarchy  at  large,  that  they  believed  on  Christ,  its  great  antago- 
nist, and  a  large  number  of  priests,  shortly  after  His  crucifixion, 
openly  joined  His  disciples. 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.  D.,  Vol.  I,  p.  82. 

Christians  Accused  of  Setting  Fire  to  Rome 

[Nero]  punished,  with  exquisite  tortnre,  a  race  of  men  detested 
for  their  evil  practices,  by  vulgar  appellation  commonly  called 
Christians. 


H.  Hofmann,     1824- 
"  LO,    I    AM   WITH    YOU   ALW  AY !  " 


THE  SON  OF  MAN  AND  GOD  541 

The  name  was  derived  from  Christ,  who  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius, 
suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  the  procurator  of  Judea.  By  that 
event  the  sect,  of  which  he  was  the  founder,  received  a  blow, 
which,  for  a  time,  checked  the  growtli  of  a  dangerous  supersti- 
tion ;  but  it  revived  soon  after,  and  spread  with  recruited  vigor, 
not  only  in  Judea,  the  soil  that  gave  it  birth,  but  even  in  the 
city  of  Rome,  the  common  sink  into  which  everything  infamous 
and  abominable  flows  like  a  torrent  from  all  quarters  of  the  world. 

Nero  proceeded  with  his  usual  artifice.  He  found  a  set  of  profli- 
gate wretches,  who  were  induced  to  confess  themselves  guilty,  and, 
on  the  evidence  of  such  men,  a  number  of  Christians  were  con- 
victed, not  indeed,  upon  clear  evidence  of  their  having  set  the  city 
on  fire,  but  rather  on  account  of  their  sullen  hatred  of  the  whole 
human  race.  They  were  put  to  death  with  exquisite  cruelty,  and 
to  their  sufferings  Nero  added  mockery  and  derision.  Some  were 
covered  with  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  and  left  to  be  devoured  by 
dogs ;  others  were  nailed  to  the  cross  ;  numbers  were  burnt  alive  ; 
and  many,  covered  over  with  inflammable  matter,  were  lighted 
up,  when  the  day  declined,  to  serve  as  torches  during  the 
night. 

For  the  convenience  of  seeing  this  tragic  spectacle,  the  emperor 

lent  his  own  gardens.     He  added  the  sports  of  the  circus,  and 

assisted  in  person,  sometimes  driving  a  curricle,  and  occasionally 

mixing  with  the  rabble  in  his  coachman's  dress.     At  length  the 

cruelty  of  these  proceedings  filled  every  breast  with  compassion. 

Humanity  relented  in  favour  of  the  Christians.     The  manners  of 

that  people  were,  no  doubt,  of  a  pernicious  tendency,  and  their 

crimes  called  for  the  hand  of  justice  ;  but  it  was  evident,  that 

they  fell  a  sacrifice,  not  for  the  public  good,  but  to  glut  the  rage 

and  cruelty  of  one  man  only. 

The  Annals  of  Tacitus.     The  Works  of  Cornelius  Tacitus,  Book  XV,  Section 
xliv,  p.  287. 

Faith  of  Our  Fathers ! 

Faith  of  our  fathers  !  living  still 

In  spite  of  dungeon,  fire,  and  sword : 
O  how  our  hearts  beat  high  with  joy 

Whene'er  we  hear  that  glorious  word  ! 
Faith  of  our  fathers  !  holy  faith  ! 

We  will  be  true  to  thee  till  death  1 


542      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

Our  fathers,  chained  in  prisons  dark, 
Were  still  in  heart  and  conscience  free  : 

How  sweet  would  be  their  children's  fate, 
If  they,  like  them,  could  die  for  thee  ! 

Faith  of  our  fathers  !  holy  faith  ! 
We  will  be  true  to  thee  till  death ! 

Faith  of  Our  Fathers  !    Frederick  W.  Faber,  The  Methodist  Hymnal,  p.  290. 


The  Chain  of  Christian  Evidence  from  the  First  Centwry 

There  are  iu  existence  ancient  Greek  manuscripts  of  the  New 
Testament  that  have  come  down  unchanged  from  the  fourth 
century.  In  them  are  the  four  Gospels,  substantially  the  same  as 
those  in  use  in  the  churches  to-day.  We  are  therefore  certain 
that  we  have  the  same  history  of  Christ's  life  as  was  accepted  by 
believers  universally  in  that  century.  To  make  "assurance  double 
sure,"  we  have  the  decision  of  two  famous  Councils  of  that  age 
concerning  the  canon  of  New  Testament  scripture.  In  397  the 
Council  of  Carthage  placed  the  sanction  of  its  judgment  upon 
those  books  which  were  to  be  read  in  the  churches  as  of  divine 
authority.  The  catalogue  was  precisely  the  same  as  is  to-day 
accepted.  In  363  the  Council  of  Laodicaea  gave  a  list  of  the  books 
received  which  was  identical  with  ours  with  the  one  exception 
that  no  mention  was  made  of  the  Apocalyj)se  [Revelation]. 

Following  back  the  stream  of  evidence  from  this  point  we  come 
next  to  a  history  of  the  Church  from  the  apostolic  age  written  by 
Eusebius  of  Coesarea,  who  lived  from  260  A.  D.  to  338  A.  D.  In 
this  work  there  is  distinct  testimony  to  the  fact  that  at  the  close 
of  the  third  century  the  Gospels  were  received  everywhere  with- 
out any  question  as  to  their  historic  accuracy.  Next  in  order  is 
Origen,  who  lived  from  185  A.  D.  to  254  A.  D.  He  published  a 
catalogue  of  the  canon  of  his  day  and  it  began  with  the  four 
Gospels. 

The  next  witness  is  Ireufeus,  who  wrote  a  treatise  in  the  same 
year  Origen  was  born,  namely  185  A.  d.,  in  which  special  mention 
is  made  of  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John  as  the  accredited 
Gospels.  About  160  A.  d.,  Tatian  prepared  a  work  which  he 
called  the  Diatessaron,  and  which  was  a  compilation  of  the  story 
of  Christ's  life  from  the  four  Gospels. 

Somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  146  A.  d.,  Justin  Martyr 


THE  SON  OF  MAN  AND  GOD  543 

issued  an  "Apology"  in  which  he  referred  in  definite  terms  to 
the  Memoirs  of  the  Apostles,  and  said  that  they  were  read  on  every 
Sunday  in  the  public  congregations  of  Christians.  He  made  about 
200  quotations  from  the  Gospels,  from  which  it  is  evident  that 
by  "Memoirs"  he  meant  precisely  what  we  call  Gospels.  In 
135  A.  D.,  Papias  published  an  exposition  of  Matthew  aud  Mark 
which  he  called  the  Oracles  of  the  Lord  and  which  were  accepted 
generally  at  that  time  by  believers. 

We  are  thus  carried  beyond  the  middle  of  the  second  century 
by  the  distinct  testimony  of  credible  and  competent  witnesses. 
From  their  statements  it  is  perfectly  plain  that  the  Christian 
churches  about  150  A.  d.  were  supplied  with  the  story  of  their 
Lord's  life  in  those  Gospels  which  still  stand  at  the  head  of  the 
New  Testament  canon. 

To  bridge  the  distance  from  this  date  to  the  age  of  the 
apostles  is  a  very  easy  matter.  The  life  of  one  man  is  suflBicient 
to  cover  the  space.  Polycarp,  the  bishop  of  Smyrna,  who  was 
martyred  in  155  or  156  A.  D.,  was  an  old  man  at  the  time  of 
his  decease.  He  was  born  somewhere  about  70  A.  D.  In  his 
youth  he  was  a  disciple  of  the  apostle  John  and  from  him  learned 
the  story  of  our  Lord's  life.  When  John  died  Polycarp  was 
thirty  years  old.  It  was  his  privilege  to  know  many  other  per- 
sons who  had  seen  the  risen  Christ.  Treasuring  up  these  recol- 
lections he  went  through  the  churches  preaching  the  doctrines 
he  had  received,  and  recounting  the  history  he  had  heard  from 
those  who  had  been  eye  witnesses  of  the  scenes  reported.     .     .     . 

The  fact  that  near  the  close  of  Polycarp' s  life  the  churches 
universally  accepted  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John  as  authentic 
and  trustworthy  is  an  unanswerable  witness  to  their  accuracy. 
Had  these  books  been  untrustworthy,  the  man,  who  had  talked 
with  John  himself  again  and  again,  and  from  his  lips  learned  the 
sacred  story  and  teachings,  would  have  been  a  swift  and  effective 
exposer  of  their  errors.  False  Gospels  could  not  have  stood  be- 
fore him.  Their  acceptance  without  a  breath  of  doubt  is  proof 
positive  that  they  accorded  with  the  report  which  the  aged  bishop 
brought  direct  from  the  apostolic  age.  The  line  of  evidence  is 
thus  complete  from  the  latter  half  of  the  first  century  to  the 
present  day. 

A  Search  after  Grounds  for  Faith,  Rev.  Willis  P.  Odell,  D.  D.,  pp.  7-9, 


644      THE  STORY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 

The  Fire  in  the  Heart  of  History 

Workingmen  see  in  Jesus  one  of  themselves.  Ou  coming  into 
power  one  of  tlieir  first  acts  would  be  to  put  this  Workiugman 
into  the  public  schools — a  moulder  of  childhood's  formative  clay. 
The  Carpenter  of  Nazareth  is  the  greatest  working  force  in  his- 
tory. He  is  woven  into  every  part  of  knowledge.  To  keep  him 
longer  quarantined  from  the  schools  and  colleges  would  not  only 
bereave  the  young  of  collision  with  the  most  efficient  moral  dy- 
namic ever  known,  but  it  would  also  maim  the  intellect.  Jesus  is 
the  central  fire  that  burns  at  the  heart  of  history.  Leave  him 
out,  European  chronicles  are  meaningless — the  march  of  the 
centuries  nothing  but  a  splendid  chaos.  Art,  letters,  the  develop- 
ment of  institutions,  are  kuowable  only  to  those  who  know  him. 
He  is  the  red  cord  across  the  stretch  of  centuries,  the  clue  to  an 
otherwise  infinite  maze  and  bafflement.  Only  to  whoso  has 
knowledge  of  this  Workingman  is  there  presented  a  map  of  his- 
tory and  the  human  drama  unfolds  itself  in  a  scheme  of  orderli- 
ness and  progression.  The  calendar  on  the  wall  of  every  home 
and  shop  and  office  attests  the  unavoidable  Carpenter.  To  re- 
lease him,  therefore,  from  the  the  Sunday-schools  and  the  cate- 
chism .  .  .  into  the  public  school  where  he  belongs  by  in- 
alienable right,  is  the  premier  need  of  our  day. 
The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  Bouck  White,  p.  342. 

The  Life  of  Christ  in  History  Can  Not  Cease 

The  life  of  Christ  in  history  can  not  cease.  His  influence  waxes 
more  and  more  ;  the  dead  nations  are  waiting  till  it  reach  them, 
and  it  is  the  hope  of  the  earnest  spirits  that  are  bringing  in  the 
new  earth.  All  discoveries  of  the  modern  world,  every  develop- 
ment of  juster  ideas,  of  higher  powers,  of  more  exquisite  feelings 
in  mankind,  are  only  new  helps  to  interpret  Him ;  and  the  lift- 
ing-up  of  life  to  the  level  of  His  ideas  and  character  is  the  pro- 
gramme of  the  human  race. 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  p.  152. 


THE  SON  OF  MAN  AND  GOD  546 

The  Christ  That  Is  to  Be 

Ring  out  the  grief  that  saps  the  miud, 

For  those  that  here  we  see  no  more ; 

Ring  out  the  feud  of  rich  and  poor, 
Ring  in  redress  to  all  mankind. 

Ring  out  a  slowly  dying  cause, 

And  ancient  forms  of  party  strife  ; 

Ring  in  the  nobler  modes  of  life, 
With  sweeter  manners,  purer  laws. 

Ring  out  false  pride  in  place  and  blood, 

The  civic  slander  and  the  spite ; 

Ring  in  the  love  of  truth  and  right, 
Ring  in  the  common  love  of  good. 

Ring  out  old  shapes  of  foul  disease  ; 

Ring  out  the  narrowing  lust  of  gold  ; 

Ring  out  the  thousand  wars  of  old, 
Ring  in  the  thousand  years  of  peace. 

Ring  in  the  valiant  and  the  free, 

The  larger  heart,  the  kindlier  hand  ; 

Ring  out  the  darkness  of  the  land. 
Ring  in  the  Christ  that  is  to  be. 

In  Memoriam,  ovi.     Alfred  Tennyson,  Poetical  Works,  p.  129. 


546      THE  STOEY-LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


The  Son  of  Man  the  Son  of  God 

Thou  seemest  human  aud  divine  — 
The  highest,  holiest  manhood  thou  ! 
Our  wills  are  ours,  we  know  not  how  — 

Our  wills  are  ours  to  make  them  thine. 

—  Tennyson. 


Special  Acknowledgments 


It  is  with  an  almost  overwhelming  sense  of  obligation  that  I  now,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  credits  given  in  the  body  of  my  book,  make  fuller  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  many  kindnesses  shown  me  by  publishers,  authors  and  others 
whose  distinguished  generosity  has  done  so  much  to  make  The  Story-Life  of 
the  Son  of  Man  possible. 

From  an  "  embarrassment  of  riches  "  it  has  been  necessary  to  choose  only 
the  very  best,  and  even  then  it  has  been  impossible  to  use  more  than  a  tithe 
of  the  good  things  at  hand. 

Thanks,  in  the  first  place,  should  go  to  Longmans,  Green  &  Co.  for 
fundamental  extracts  liberally  allowed  from  four  of  the  greatest  works  on  the 
sublime  subject  : 

The  Lfe  and  Words  of  Christ,  by  Dr.  Cunningham  Geikie  ; 

The  Life  and  Times  of  Jesus  the  Messiah,  by  Dr.  Alfred  Edersheim  ; 

Jesus  the  Messiah,  a  popular  abridgment  of  the  same ; 

The  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  by  Abbe  Constant  Fouard,  that  devout  and 
fascinating  Roman  Catholic  authority — making  a  strong  and  necessary  quar- 
tet for  ministers,  teachers,  students  and  general  readers  of  the  Life  of  the 
Master. 

Next  in  order,  and  equal  in  interest  and  importance,  comes  that  learned 
and  long-popular  work. 

The  Life  of  Christ,  by  Archdeacon  Frederic  W.  Farrar,  for  the  free  use 
of  which  many  thanks  are  due  Cassell  &  Company  ;  also 

Jesus  Christ,  by  the  Reverend  Father  Didon,  and  published  by  Keg  an 
Paul,  Trench,  TrUbner  &  Co. 

Among  the  great  books  on  the  Christ  published  originally  in  America, 
many  stories  showing  deep  insight  and  intense  feeling  have  been  chosen  from 
the  following,  for  the  use  of  which  Houghton  Mifflin  Company  give 
their  kind  consent  : 

The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  ; 

Within  the  Pale,  by  Mary  Antin,  whose  contributions  to 

547 


548  SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The  Atlantic  Monthly  have  stirred  the  literary  and  social  world  of  the  day  ; 
paragraphs  from 

Modern  Government  and  Christianity,  by  Winston  Churchill  ;  and  for 
vivid  pages  from 

Come  Forth  !  by  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  and  Herbert  D.  Ward. 

Also  for  extracts  from  the  poems  of  Holmes,  Longfellow,  Lowell,  and 
Whittier  ;  and 

The  Christ  Story,  by  Eva  March  Tappan. 

Special  recognition  is  accorded  to  D.  Appleton  &  Company  for  courtesies 
in  connection  with  their  American  edition  of 

The  Life  and  Words  of  Christ,  by  Dr.  Geikie,  as  well  as  for  charming 
child  stories  from 

ji  Book  of  the  Christ  Child,  by  Eleanor  Hammond  Broadus. 

To  Bromfield  &  Company,  sincere  thanks  are  rendered  for  permissions 
covering  a  number  of  extracts  from 

The  Life  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  by  Henry  Ward  Beecher. 

From  the  best  of  the  single-volume  Lives  of  the  Christ,  stories — not  half 
so  many  as  desired — have  been  selected  from 

Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,  as  Related  by  Thomas  Didymus,  by  James  Free- 
man Clarke,  now  published  by  Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Company  ;  and 
thanks  are  tendered  to  George  W,  Jacobs  &  Co.  for  rich  excerpts  from 

Tlie  Life  of  Christ,  by  William  J.  Dawson,  beloved  m  two  hemispheres. 

Sincere  gratitude  is  expressed  to  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company  for  liberal 
allowances  from 

The  Boys'  Life  of  Christ,  by  William  Byron  Forbush,  whose  studies  ot 
♦*  The  Boy  Problem,"  and  *•  Travel  Lessons  on  the  Life  of  Jesus,"  have 
made  him  able  to  tell  admirably  the  story  of  the  one  Boy  to  al)  others. 

Another  refreshing  book  which  presents  this  subject  from  the  standpoint  ot 
the  world's  worker  is 

The  Call  of  The  Carpenter,  by  Bouck  White,  Head  Resident  of  Trinity 
House,  New  York.  Doubleday  Page  &  Co.  were  unstinted  in  their  gen- 
erosity, allowing  the  use  of  many  excerpts  from  a  work  which  has  just  had  a 
wide  welcome  in  social  and  religious  circles. 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company  have  contributed  but  a  modest  share,  con- 
sidering their  hundreds  of  religious  publications — for  these  few  books  are 
indispensable  : 

The  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  Rev.  James  Stalker,  M.  A.,  a  model  of  con- 
densed and  lucid  characterisation ; 


SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  5^9 

Studies  of  the  Man  Christ  Jesus,  by  Robert  E.  Speer  ; 

The  Analyzed  Bible,  by  the  Rev.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  D.  D.,  and  from 
thsrt  standard  work  by  a  score  of  authorities. 

The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament,  a  Translation  into  Modern 
English. 

In  this  connection  a  work  of  similar  import  should  be  mentioned,  namely. 

The  New  Testament  in  Modern  English,  by  Ferrar  Fenton. 

While  referring  to  these  versions  in  the  modern  vernacular  the  thanks  ot 
writer  and  publishers  should  be  extended  to  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons  for 
selections  permitted  from  the 

American  Revision  of  the  New  Testament. 

Acknowledgment  is  made  at  the  same  time  for  many  quotations  allowed 
from  the 

Revised  Version  of  1 88 1,  as  also  the 

Authorised,  or  King  James  Translation. 

Quotations  also  are  made  from  the  so-called 

Latin  Vulgate  of  St.  Jerome,  rendered  into  English  ;  from  the 

Rheims  New  Testament,  later  incorporated  into  the 

Douai  or  Douay  Bible,  as  revised  and  published  under  the  approval  of  the 
Most  Reverend  John  Hughes,  D.  D.,  Archbishop  of  New  York,  with  the 
imprint  of  T.  W.  Strong. 

Recourse  also  has  been  taken  to  many  versions,  from  those  of  King  Alfred, 
WyclifFe,  Tyndale  and  Luther  to  the  recent  discoveries  in  Oxyrynchus, 
Egypt,  entitled. 

New  Sayings  of  Jesus,  and 

Fragments  of  a  Lost  Gospel,  edited  by  Bernard  P.  Grenfell,  D.  Litt.,  per- 
missions for  which  were  given  by  the  Oxford  University  Press. 

Writers  of  fiction  have  done  much  for  the  readers  in  imagining  the  scenes 
in  the  Life  of  the  Christ.     Foremost  among  these  stands  Marie  Corelli,  whose 

Barabbas,  A  Dream  of  the  World's  Tragedy,  has  given  palpitating  de- 
scriptions of  the  Crucifixion.  Besides  her  own  kind  consent,  that  of  her 
American  publishers,  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  has  been  secured. 

Harper  &  Brothers,  also,  have  granted  leave  to  quote  from  the  vivid 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  an  early  work  by  Lyman  Abbott,  copyright,  1868,  by 
Harper  &  Brothers  ;  copyright,  1896  and  19 10,  by  Lyman  Abbott  ; 

Vergilius,  by  Irving  Bacheller,  and  have  permitted  the  copying  of  a  foot- 
note from  that  well-known  authority. 

The  Land  and  the  Book,  by  William  M.  Thomson. 


550  SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Of  the  truth  which  is  stranger  than  fiction,  yet  much  of  it  wrought  by  the 
imagination,  one  of  the  most  vivid  stories  about  the  Christ  is 

A  Day  in  Capernaum,  by  Franz  Delitzsch,  rather  roughly  translated  from 
the  German  by  J.  G.  Morris  and  the  writer  of  this  Story-Life.  It  was  printed 
in  America  by  the  Reformed  Church  Publication  Society. 

The  yearly  volumes  published  by  W.  A.  Wilde  Company,  entitled 

Select  Notes  on  the  International  Lessons  by  F.  N.  and  M.  A.  Peloubet, 
have  been  drawn  upon  freely,  by  permission,  for  stories,  excerpts  and 
illustrations. 

Acknowledgment  is  also  made  to  various  publishers  for  permission  to 
reprint  extracts  from  the  following  works  : 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 

j4  History  of  the  Jewish  People  in  the  Time  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  Emil 
Schiirer,  D.  D.,  M.  A.  ;  and 

The  Character  of  Jesus,  by  Horace  Bushnell. 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons, 

Was  Christ  Born  at  Bethlehem,    by  Sir  William  Mitchell  Ramsay. 

David  McKay, 

The  Apocryphal  Books  of  the  New  Testament. 

Little,  Brovv^n  &  Company, 

The  Life  of  Jesus,  by  Ernest  Renan. 

Messrs.  Roberts  Brothers, 

Ecce  Homo  :  A  Survey  of  the  Life  and  Work  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  John  R. 
Seeley  ; 

The  Prince  of  the  House  of  David,  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Ingraham. 

Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Co., 
Bethesda,  and 

What  Went  Ye  Out  to  See,  by  Arthur  Hugh  Clough,  and 
My  Religion,  and 

The  Teaching  of  Jesus,  by  Count  Leo  Tolstoi,  translated  by  L.  and  A. 
Maude. 

Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company, 

The  Light  of  the  World,  by  Sir  Edwin  Arnold.  Further  acknowledg- 
ments are  made  to 

Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  for  permission  to  quote  from  the  English  edi 
tion  of  this  brilliant  poem. 


SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  551 

Also  to  the  publishers  of 

/;;  Memoriam,  by  Alfred  Lord  Tennyson  ; 

Echoes  and  Pictures  From  the  Life  of  Christ,  by  Richard  H.  Thomas,  M.  D. 

The  Sunday  School  Times, 

The  Inn  That  Missed  Its  Chance,  by  Amos  R.  Wells. 

DoUBLEDAY   PaGE  &   CoMPANY, 

The  New  Library  of  Poetry  and  Song,  edited  by  William  Cullen  Bryant. 
David  C.  Cook  Publishing  Co., 

Titus,  a  Comrade  of  the  Cross,  by  Florence  Morse  Kingsley. 
The  Methodist  Book  Concern, 

Jesus  Christ  in  His  Homeland,  by  Lydia  M.  von  Finkelstein  Mountford. 
The  Outlook  Company, 

The  Boy  Who  Ran  Away,  by  William  E.  Barton,  D.  D. 
Geo.  W.  Dillingham  Company, 

The  Unknown  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  found  in  Buddhists*  records,  by 
Nicolas  Notovitch. 

George  H.  Doran  Company,  successor  to  A.  C.  Armstrong  &  Son,  for 
many  extracts  from 

The  Trial  and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ. 

E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co., 

The  Influence  of  Jems, 

The  Manliness  of  Christ, 

The  Candle  of  the  Lord  and  Other  Sermons,  by  Phillips  Brooks. 

Thanks  are  collectively  expressed  to  authors  or  publishers,  or  both,  of  the 
following  valuable  works  : 

The  Oriental  Christ,  by  Protap  Chunder  Mozoomdar ; 

Confucianism  and  Taouism,  by  Sir  Robert  K.  Douglas  ; 

Essays  on  Christianity,  Paganism  and  Superstition,  by  Thomas  DeQuincey, 
containing  that  great  author's  famous  Apology  for 

Judas  Iscariot ;  in  which  connection  must  be  mentioned 

/;/  Defense  of  Judas,  as  given  in  a  poetic  pamphlet  entitled, 

A  Roman  Lawyer  in  Jerusalem,  by  William  Wetmore  Story,  and  pub: 
lished  by  the  Philosopher  Press  ;  also  for  an  extract  from 

Immanuel,  by  Zachary  Eddy  ; 

Outlines  of  Ancient  and  Modern  History,  by  Royal  Robbins  ; 

A  Theological  Compend,  by  the  Rev.  Amos  Binney,  and  many  other  books 
of  great  worth. 


562  SPECIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Zion's  Herald  receives  grateful  recognition  for  permissions  to  reprint 
from  its  columns  certain  verses  on 

Galilee,  by  Wayne  Whipple,  and  the  peroration  of  a  sermon  on 

The  Originality  of  Jesus,  by  Matt  S.  Hughes,  D.  D. 

It  is  impossible  to  acknowledge  the  whole  debt  for  aids  in  producing  this 
Story-Life,  from  Paul  and  Josephus  down  to  Mozoomdar  and  Mary  Antin. 

Among  the  many  who  have  given  personal  help  and  sympathy  are,  the 
writer's  mother,  Mrs.  A.  J.  Whipple,  now  of  Seattle,  Washington,  who,  by 
her  prayers  and  those  of  a  scattered  band  of  Mothers  in  Israel  held  up  "  The 
Life  "  and  its  unworthy  compiler  daily  before  the  Throne  ; 

To  the  "  chief  friend,"  William  H.  Eddishaw,  who,  with  his  devoted 
mother  and  sister,  lent  aid  and  inspiration  to  the  success  of  this  work  ; 

To  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Wesley  Burns,  the  pastor  beloved,  for  many 
helpful  thoughts,  during  the  years  of  preparation  for  the  book  ; 

To  Dr.  Naaman  H.  Keyser,  for  the  use  of  curiosities  and  obscure  author- 
ities which  lend  an  added  interest  to  this  mosaic  Life  ; 

To  Dr.  S.  P.  Ross,  of  Philadelphia,  for  able  professional  assistance  ; 

To  Captain  J.  E.  Barr,  for  the  use  of  unique  and  valuable  originals  in 
illustrating  the  book  ; 

To  the  Honourable  John  Wanamaker,  for  permission  to  copy  his  great 
painting  of  St.  Veronica,  now  hanging  in  Bethany  Church,  Philadelphia  ; 

To  Charles  Sydney  Bradford,  for  artistic  painstaking  in  reproducing 
several  beautiful  illustrations  for  this  work  ; 

To  Herman  Newman,  for  many  suggestions  and  helpful  books. 

It  seems  now  that  it  would  have  been  almost  impossible  to  produce  this 
Story-Life  without  the  untiring  courtesies  and  cooperation  of  the  following  ; 

The  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  Friends'  Library  of  Germantown  ; 

The  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  Free  Library  of  Philadelphia,  in- 
cluding the  Assistants  at  the  Germantown  and  Widener  Branches  ; 

The  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  Philadelphia  Library  Company, 
(founded  by  Benjamin  Franklin)  and  of  the  Ridgway  Branch  ; 

The  Librarian  and  Assistants  of  the  Mercantile  Library  of  Philadelphia  ; 

And  of  Ernest  Spofford,  Assistant  Librarian  of  Pennsylvania  Histor- 
ical Society. 


INDEX 


Aaron,  452.      ^      ,  .    •        no 

Abbott,  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman,  stones,  139, 
150,  190,  205,  229,  265,  281,  301,  334, 
381. 

Abel    235. 

Abgarus,  king  of  Edessa,  506,  507. 

Abiathar,   190,   191. 

Abilene,  district,  115. 

Abraham,  94,  115,  150.  178,  219,  220. 
311-14,  339,  340,   349,   385,   399. 

Aceldama,  see   Field  of   Blood. 

Adam,   Samaritan   belief   about,    150. 

yEnon,  the   Baptist  at     154. 

Ahasuerus,  the  Wandermg  Jew,   507.  ^ 

Alexis,  husband  of  Herod  the  Greats 
sister   Salome,   42,   72,   73. 

Alfred   the   Great,   211. 

Alphaeus.     See  also  Clopas,   106. 

Ambrose,  Saint,  539.  ^„     ,^e 

Andrew,  one  of  the  Twelve,  128,  165, 
166  171,  192,  203-5;  with  certain 
Greeks,  403;   539,  540. 

Angel  or  Angels,  Gabriel,  48-50 ;  ap- 
pearing to  the  shepherds,  62,  63 ;  il- 
lustration, 63 ;  illustration,  flight  to 
Egypt,  71  ;  minister  to  Jesus,  124_;  133  ; 
names  used  in  magic,  177;  coming  in 
glory,  291  ;  always  behold  His  face, 
298;  in  presence  of,  332;  all  the  holy 
angels,  359;  "hath  spoken  to  Him," 
403 ;  into  the  face  of  our  Father, 
410;  445;  twelve  legions  in  His  de- 
fense, 448;  at  the  tomb,  516;  in  the 
tomb,  518,  520. 

Anna,  prophetess  in  Temple,  66. 

Annas  (Ananus,  Hanan),  115,  144,  451, 
452,  454,  455,  464,  470,  474,  487,  495. 

Annunciation,  48-50. 

Antin  (Grabau),  Mary,  story,  44. 

Antipas  (Herod),  72,  115,  155.  257-9, 
262-5,  268,  281,  340-2;  466,  467,  474. 

Antonia,   castle,  41,    111. 

Apocryphal  New  Testament,  stories,  76, 
77,  80-2,  84-8,  506,  507,  509-11,  539. 

Appearances  of  the  Christ  after  Resin-- 
rection,  525-536;   533,  534. 

Aramaic  (Aramean,  Syriac),  93,  112, 
113,  136,  137;  "Talitha  cumi,"  255; 
"Ephphatha,"  285,  286;  "Eli,  Eli, 
lama  sabachthani,"  494,  495. 

Ararat,  Mount,   150. 

Archelaus,   72-4,   101. 

Arnold,   Sir  Edwin,  stories,   110,  464. 

Ascension  of  Jesus,  532-5. 

Asceticism,  Jesus  opposed  to,  127. 

Asmonean,  lineage  or  family,  48,  66. 

Atonement,  Day  of,  90,  136.  See  also 
Feasts. 


Augustine,   Saint,   539. 
Augustus  (Octavius),  Emperor,  31,  34, 
53,  55,  71,  101,  131. 

B 
Baal,  heathen  deity,  283. 
Babylon,  48,  67. 

Bacheller,    Irving,    stories,   40,    69. 
Balaam,  prophet  of  Midian,  39. 
Baltasar    (Balthasar),    traditional    name 

of  one  of  the  Magi,  70. 
Baptism  of  Jesus,   118-20. 
Barabbas,  337,  469,  470,  472,  473. 
Barrett,  Eaton  S.,  story,  500. 
Bartholomew.     See  also  Nathanael,  134, 

203,  204;   529,  539,  540. 
Bartimaeus   (son   of  Timaeus),  386,  387; 

illustration,  386;  393. 
Barton,    William    E.,   stories,   414,    415, 

439,  450,   538. 
Beatitudes,  206-209. 
Bede,   "the  Venerable,"  70. 
Bedouin  Arabs,   116. 
Beecher,    Henry    Ward,    stories,    36,   47, 

50,   53,  89,   91,  95,   98,   103,  118,   119. 
Beelzebub    (Beelzebul),    232,    233,    261, 

283. 
Beeroth,  village,   101. 
Beersheba,    the    southern     boundary    of 

country,    59. 
Bethabara,   118,   132,  205. 
Bethany,  321,  322,  363-6;  370,  387,  388, 

394,  395,  398,  408,  412,  488,  523. 
Bethel,   149. 

Bethesda,   180,   181,    188. 
Bethlehem,    42,    55-8,    62,    63,    66-8,    73, 

74,   78,   305,   532. 
Bethphage,  390. 
Bethsaida,   133,   164,    199,  204,  268,  270, 

281,    317,    403. 
Bethsaida,    Julias,    264. 
Bethshean,   375. 
Binney,   Amos,   story,   523. 
Boat,    preaching    from,    192,    200,    201, 

240,   241,    246-9,    251,    287. 
Bonaventura,    90. 
Brahmin,    239. 
Broadus,     Eleanor     Hammond,    stories, 

78-80,    83. 
Brooks,   N.   €.,   story,    131. 
Brooks,   Phillips,   stories,    102,   272,   313, 

445. 
Brothers   of   Jesus    (traditional)   James, 

Joses,    Simon    and    Jude,    106,    164-5, 

302.  _ 
Browning,     Elizabeth     Barrett,     quota- 
tions,   104,    163;    stories,   367,    459. 
Buddha,    Buddhism,    Buddhist,    12,    13. 
Burns,   Charles  Wesley,  story,  35. 
Bushnell,   Horace,  443. 


553 


554,       THE  STORY  LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


Caesar     (Augustus,    Tiberius,    etc.,    see 

Augustus,     Tiberius,     etc.),     General 

application,     105,    110,    289;    "Render 

unto,"     400,     401  ;     ''No     king     but," 

471-5;    481. 
Caesarea,   40,    111. 
Caesarea    Philippi,    254,    289. 
Caiaphas,    stories    by,    76,     77,    80,    81, 

82,     84,     87;     referred     to,     115,     373, 

412,    448,    451,    455,    457,    458,    462-5, 

470,   474,   486. 
Calvary    (Golgotha),    408,    494,    503. 
Cana,  132,   135,   136,   140,   155,  161,  163, 

164,    269,    529. 
Canaan,   Canaanite,   283. 
Capernaum,    140.    155,    161,    164-6,    167- 

79,    193,   199,   204,  218,  265,   268,   269, 

274,     275,     279,     281.    285,    296,     300, 

317, 
Carmel     (Mount),    122,    163,    294. 
Cataline,   35. 
Centurion,    Roman    Captain,     140,    218- 

20,    481,    484,    494,    495,    499,    502. 
Childhood,    Children,    297,   298,    378-9. 
Chorazin,     by     Galilee,     164,     199,     281, 

317. 
Christian,    Christians,    511-12,    518,    521, 

524,    540,    541,    543. 
Church,    of   Christ,    289,    290,    380,    518, 

524,    526,    538,    543. 
Churchill,    Winston,   story,    427. 
Cicero,    Marcus   Tullius,   34,   474. 
Circumcision    of   Jesus,    64. 
Clarke,     Tames    Freeman,     stories,     149, 

184,   194,  207,   208,  215,  216,  319,  321, 

372,    384,    399,    423,    501,    517,    520. 
Cleophas    (Clopas?),    525. 
Clopas     (Cleopas),     see    also    Alphaeus, 

492,   493,    499,    503,   525. 
Clough,      Arthur      Hugh,      story,      181  ; 

quoted,    192;    201. 
Coleridge,    Samuel    Taylor,    story,    321. 
Commandments,  quoted  by  Christ,  380; 

second  Table,  381  :   the  greatest.  401  ; 

what   to   say,   404;    according  to,    513. 
Confucius,   214,   215.   347,   362. 
Congreve,    William,   quoted,    257. 
Constantine,     Capronymus,     507. 
Constantine,    Emperor  of  the   East   (325 

A.D.),    131. 
Constantinople,    372. 
Corban,   a  gift  by  vow   to   God.   230. 
Corelli,    Marie,    referred    to.    7 ;    stories, 

470,    482.     484,    487,     495,    496,     497, 

514,    515,    516. 
Council   of  Carthage,  A.D.   397.   542. 
Council   of   Laodicrea.   A.D.    363.    542. 
Court    of    the    Women,    in    the    Temple, 

302,    307.    402.    416,    453. 
Crashaw,  Richard,  quoted,   128;  stones, 

352,    402. 
Crassus,    Lucius    Licinius,  37. 
Creed,   the   .Apostles',    539. 
Cross     foreshadowed,     146,     182,     317; 

form,    477. 
Crown  of  Thorns.   464.   471,   472,  474. 
Crucifixion.  95.  471-3;  476-505;   540. 
"Crucify   Him!"   471-3. 
Cum.Tan    Sibyl,    39. 
Cyprus,    372. 
Cyrene,   478. 


Dan,  at  northern  boundary  of  country, 

59. 
Daniel,    Hebrew    prophet,    406,    457. 
Dante   Alighieri,   referred   to,    350;    "the 
great    refusal,"    381  ;    about    Judas,    421. 
David,   King  of  Israel,   48,  49,   55-7,   59, 

61,     62,     94,     98;     city     of,    99;     109 

144,     185,     190,     191,    218,     305,     392, 

397,   401,    509. 
Dawson,    William    T.,    stories,    36,    122, 

124,   127,   134,   140,   143,   146,   179,   185, 

203,   239,   241,   259,   262,    269,    334. 
Day  of   .\tonement,   90,    136. 
Dead     restored     to     life,     220-4;     254-6; 

363-72. 
Dead    Sea,    114,    385. 
Decapolis,    198,   251,   285. 
Delitzsch,    Dr.    Franz,   referred   to,    129; 

stories,    132,    169,    170,    173,    175. 
Demon,    Demoniac,    possessed    by,    167- 

9;    unclean    spirits,    176-8;    maniac    of 

Gadara,   249-51;   daughter  of  heathen, 

284 :  boy  on  the   Mount,  295-7 ;  Jesus 

accused  of,   303.    304,    328. 
DeOuincey,    Thomas,    story,   411. 
Diatessaron,    542. 
Didon.    Father,   stories,   220,   300. 
Dives,    348-50. 

Divorce,   Jesus    on,    376,    377. 
Douglas,    Sir   Robert    K.,   story,   215. 
Douay.        (Douai),       Roman       Catholic 

translation  of  the  Bible.     The  Lord's 

Prayer.    212. 
Doves,   as   offerings,    64,    143,    144. 
Dumachus,   79,  80. 

E 

Easter,   the   first,   513. 

Ebal,    Mount,  Samaria,    149,   150. 

Ebionite,   334. 

Eddy,    Zachary,    story,    528. 

Edersheim.  .Mfred,  stories,  42,  47,  64, 
88,  90.  92,  129,  133,  178,  232,  264, 
276,  285,  287,  289,  290,  293,  296, 
304,  322,  327,  329,  331,  364,  374, 
410,  416,  417,  421,  423,  424,  425, 
432,  435,  452,  474,  475,  477,  479, 
481,  488.  492.  499,  514,  518,  524, 
527,    536. 

Edessa,   506.   507. 

Edmunds,  Dr.  Albert  J.,  authority  on 
Oriental  religions  and  literature,  12, 
18. 

Egypt  (country  and  history),  the  flight 
into.  70.  71  ;  72,  73 ;  legends  con- 
cerning the  flight,  76,  77 ;  in  mem- 
ory of,  100;  temple  of  Karnak,  131; 
climate    of    lower    region,    385. 

Ela.   David   H.,   story,   294. 

Eleven,    the    disciples   after    the   loss    of 
Tudas.  440.  442-50,  520,  532,  533. 
"520,    532.    533. 

Eliiah  (Elias),  Hebrew  prophet,  114, 
117.  119.  123,  160,  162,  259,  266, 
289,  2^0  ;  "on  the  holy  mount."  292- 
4.    393,   494,   495. 

Eliot,   George,   see   George   Eliot. 

Elliott,    Emily    E.    S..   story.   315. 

Elisabeth,  wife  of  Zacharias  and 
mother  of  John  the  Baptist,  45-9, 
51,   54,   58,   119. 


INDEX 


555 


'Elisha    (Eliseus),    119,    121,    160,    162, 
393. 

Emmaus,  52S,   534. 

Enrollment,   Edict   of,    55,   67. 

Ephraim,   373. 

Epicurean,    Greek    philosophy,    34,    35. 

Erasmus,    Desiderius,    229. 

Esdraelon,  Plain,  103,   163. 

Esdras,    Book    in    the    Apoenypha,    39. 

Ethiopia,    540. 

Eusebius  of   Cresarea,   542. 

Ezra,    113. 

F 

Faber,  F.  W.,  hymn  writer,  story, 
542. 

Farrar,  Archdeacon,  Frederic  W., 
stories,  59,  91,  118,  123,  125,  141, 
144,  152,  164,  165,  179,  186,  188, 
189,  193,  218,  251,  268,  347,  375. 
382,  413,  418,  428,  430,  431,  441, 
446,  455,  456,  458,  476,  487,  522; 
referred    to,    537. 

Feast,  Jewish  (see  also  Passover,  Tab- 
ernacles, Dedication,  etc.),  89,  90; 
165;  Tabernacles,  301-14;  Taber- 
nacles, 329;  Dedication,  329,  330; 
Tabernacles,    337;     Tabernacles,     392. 

Fenelon,    229. 

Field,    Eugene,    referred    to,    507. 

Field    of    Blood    (Aceldama),   460. 

Fig-tree,  133;  blasted,  395-7;  parable, 
406. 

Fleetwood,    John,   story,   219. 

Fool,    the    Rich,    333,    334. 

Forbush,  W.  B.,  stories,  93,  94,  96, 
97,  99,  100.  102,  103,  110,  112,  114, 
120,  146,  157,  158,  162,  412,  469, 
493. 

Forgiving  sins,  174,  175;  of  one  an- 
other,   298-300. 

Fouard,  Abbe  Constant,  stories,  60, 
61,  67,  68,  70,  71,  101,  122,  137,  138, 
253,   254. 


Gabriel,    46,   48,    50. 

Gadara,   249-51. 

Gamala,    108. 

Gamaliel,    Rabbi,   42. 

Garden    of    Eden,    274. 

Caspar  (Gaspard,  Caspar),  one  of  the 
Magi,    70. 

Gaulomitis,    district,    72. 

Gautama,  the  Buddha,  12;  (Sakya 
Mouni)    347;    362. 

Gehenna,   Hell,    511.      See   also   Hell. 

Geikie,  Cunningham,  stories,  34,  35, 
37-9,  41,  48,  63,  65,  66,  72,  74,  99, 
105,  106,  111,  112,  114,  116,  120, 
124,  126,  130,  134-6,  139,  149,  151, 
164,  166,  168,  171,  175-7,  179,  182, 
188,  195,  196,  198,  201,  202,  204, 
214,  230,  232,  233,  235,  238,  240, 
258,  264,  27S,  279,  280,  283,  286, 
292,  302,  303,  306,  308,  309,  311, 
314,  337,  338,  342,  365,  372,  378, 
385,  387,  392,  394,  401.  402,  405. 
408,  409,  434,  440,  444.  450,  454, 
458,  461,  465,  477,  502,  503,  505. 
507,    521,    532,    540. 

Gennesaret,   Plain,    269,   275. 

Gentile,    Gentiles,    65,    165,    215,    220, 


236,  237,  260,  283-5,  287,  298,  382- 
4,    426,    463,    512,    535,   538. 

George  Eliot,  pen  name  of  Marian 
Evans  Lewes  Cross,  the  English 
novelist  who  translated  Strauss's 
skeptical  Life  of  Jesus,  11,  12; 
Quotation   from  a   poem,   506. 

Gerizim,    149,    150. 

Germanicus    (Caesar),   7>1 . 

Gethsemane,  Garden  of,  410,  440,  442- 
50,    452. 

Gifts  ("gold,  frankincense  and  myrrh  ) 
68,    69'. 

Gloria    in    Excelsis,   63. 

Golden  Rule,  first  taught,  12;  as  stat- 
ed   by   Jesus    and   others,    214,    215. 

Golgotha,    289,    478.    505. 

Gratus,    Valerius,    111. 

Great  Physician,  the  (Healer),  170, 
171,  173,  176-8,  196,  198;  leper,  217, 
218;  centurion's  servant.  218-20; 
woman  with  hemorrhage.  252-4 ; 
blind  men,  256;  all  kinds  of  plagues 
and  infirmities,  258,  259;  sick  in 
market  places,  275  ;  all  manner  of 
diseases,  285;  dumb  man,  285,  286; 
boy    with    dumb    spirit,    294-6;    365. 

Greek,  spoken  in  the  time  of  Christ, 
93,    112,    113,    205,    480.    523. 

Grenfell,   Bernard   P.,  stories,   361,  362. 

H 

Hades.  281,   289,   317,   349,   514. 

Haggai,   40. 

Hallel,    392,    416,    439. 

Hannah,    512. 

Hay,    John,    story,    325. 

Hebrew,    93.    112,    113,    159.    180,   480. 

Hebron,    city,    region,    116. 

Hell,    332,    508,    509,    539_. 

Herbert,    George,    quotation,    442. 

Hermon.   285.    293.    294. 

Herod    Antipas.    see   Antipas. 

Herod  the  Great,  king  of  Judea,  37, 
40.  42;  45.  55,  66-8,  70:  death,  72; 
legends,  11,  79,  82,  92;  197,  198, 
236,    259.    262. 

Herodians,   186,   236,    268,   400. 

Herodias,    257.    262-4. 

Hinnom.    Valley,    99.    517. 

Holland.    Tosiah    Gilbert,    55. 

Holmes,    Oliver  Wendell,    180. 

Holy    Place    (Sanctuary),    48,    409. 

Holy  Spirit  (Holy  Ghost),  46,  49,  51 
65;  at  the  baptism  of  Tesus,  119-21 
128,  318,  332,  401  :  Wycliffe,  436 
"Receive  ye,"  527:  532,  533,  539. 

Horace,    Roman    poet,    34. 

Hosea,    306. 

House   of  the   Last   Supper,   438-9. 

Hughes,   Matt.   S.,   story,  362. 

Hume,    David,    528. 


Idumaea,    Idumean,    40,    48. 

Ingraham,   J.    H.,    stories,    223,   306. 

Inn    (Khan),    Bethlehem,    58-60. 

Irenaeus,     542. 

Isaac,   151,  219,  220,  340,   399. 

Isaiah,  48,  115:  Jesus  reads  from,  159, 
160:  at  Capernaum,  165,  166;  "He 
did  not  cry  aloud,"  201 ;  quoted,  230, 


556       THE  STORY  LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


237,   242;   Jesus  believed  to  be,  266; 
quoted,    278,    390,    391  ;     "Who    hath 
believed  our  report?"  404;   "He  hath 
blinded   their   eyes,"   404. 
Iturea,   district,    115. 

J 

Jacob,   149-52,   188,   219,   220,   340,   399. 

Jacob's    Well,    149-52. 

Jacopone,  Franciscan  friar,  wrote 
"Stabat    Mater,"    493. 

Jairus,    252,   254. 

James,  son  of  Alphaeus,  106,  203,  204, 
534,    539,    540. 

James,  son  of  Zebedee  and  Salome, 
166,  171,  192,  203-5,  254,  315,  384, 
424,    442,    499,    529,    534,    539,    540. 

Jeremiah,    71,    266,    289,    460. 

Jericho,   8,   42,    73,   121,   320,   385,   386. 

Jerome,   Saint,   8. 

Jerusalem,  Jewish  capital,  40,  41,  88, 
92,  96-9,  100,  101,  103,  117,  118, 
121,  129,  132,  142,  143,  146,  149, 
151-3,  158,  169,  175,  176,  180,  182, 
184,  188,  210,  223,  232,  265,  269, 
275,  289,  300;  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
301-14;  315,  320,  337,  339,  341,  342, 
354,  444,  450,  462,  464,  466,  472, 
475,  476;  "Daughters  of,"  478,  479, 
487,  490,  500,  505,  518,  525,  526, 
533,    540. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  "the  Master  Story 
Teller,"  9;  first  taught  the  Gold- 
en Rule,  12;  "went  about  doing 
good,"  13;  birth  mentioned,  33; 
name  given,  48 ;  before  birth,  53 ; 
birth,  59,  60 ;  manger,  60,  62,  63 ; 
swaddling  clothes,  61,  62;  mother's 
lullaby,  62 ;  visit  of  shepherds,  63, 
64;  circumcised  and  presented  in 
Temple,  64,  65  ;  Simeon's  prophecy, 
65,  66;  Anna's  blessing,  66;  visited 
by  Magi,  66-9 ;  flight  to  Egypt,  70 ; 
stay  in  Egypt,  72 :  "Out  oi  Egypt," 
73 ;  taken  to  Nazareth,  73 ;  "He 
shall  be  called  a  Nazarene,"  74; 
spurious  stories  of  His  boyhood,  75- 
87;  legend  of  His  infancy  from  the 
Koran,  75 ;  legend  of  the  swaddling 
clothes,  76;  of  restoring  a  mule  to 
manhood,  77 ;  of  the  miraculous 
field  of  grain,  77;  of  the  twining  of 
junipers,  78;  of  the  quivering  as- 
pen, 78 ;  of  the  boyhood  of  the  two 
thieves,  79;  of  the  tall  palm,  80;  of 
the  broken  pitcher,  80 ;  of  Him  and 
Judas  as  boys  together,  81  ;  of  re- 
storing the  right  colours  to  the  dyer's 
cloths,  81  ;  of  the  throne  Joseph  had 
built  wrongly,  82 ;  of  a  boy  bitten 
by  a  serpent,  83  :  of  the  boys  turned 
to  kids,  83 ;  of  the  dead  boy's  vin- 
dication, 84 ;  of  the  clay  sparrows, 
85 ;  of  the  withered  boy,  85 ;  strik- 
ing a  boy  dead,  86 ;  of  the  indig- 
nant neighbours,  86;  of  Jesus  (St. 
Issa)  in  India,  87;  the  concealed 
miracles,  87 ;  portrait  when  twelve 
years  old,  89:  doing  nothing  won- 
derful, 90 ;  "like  His  brethren,"  91  ; 
going  to  school  in  the  synagogue, 
92-5  ;  a  real  boy  growing  to  manly 
manhood,  95;  off  for  a  trip  to  Jeru- 


salem,    96;     through     Samaria,     97; 
"Our     feet     shall     stand     within    thy 
gates,     O     Jerusalem !"     98 ;     in     His 
Father's     house,     99 ;     the     Passover 
supper,    100 ;    the   boy   lingers   behind, 
100;   an   anxious  search,    101;   finding 
Him    in    the   Temple  among   the    rab- 
bis,   101  ;    "Why   are   you   treating   us 
like    this?"    102;    "Didn't    you    know    > 
I  must  be  about  my   Father's  work?" 
102;    leaving   the   Temple    with    them, 
101  ;    back    to   Nazareth,    an    obedient 
Son,   103;  working  at  His  trade,   104- 
14 ;    growing    in    size   and   knowledge, 
104;     doing     carpenter     work,     104; 
cabinet  making  and  other  things,  104; 
death    of    Joseph,     105;     turning    His 
hand   to    many    kinds    of    work,     106; 
making  yokes  and  ploughs,   104,   107; 
terrible     Roman     conditions     around 
Him,    108;    hearing   others   talk   about 
the    coming    i\Iessiah,     109 ;    working 
patiently    on    for    twenty    years,    112; 
familiar    with    three    languages,     112; 
going  to  hear  John   the   Baptist,   1J4; 
His    baptism,     118-20;     coming    from 
Galilee     to    Jordan,     118;     "Suffer    it 
now,"     119;     "This     is    my    Son,    my 
Beloved!"      119;      "led     up     by     the 
Spirit  into  the  wilderness,"   120;    His 
temptation,    120-7;    was    He    capable 
of     sinning?      125;     unerring     choice, 
126;     parting    of    the    ways    for    Him 
and    John,    126,    127;    against    asceti- 
cism,   127;     accepting    four    followers 
and    taking   them    to   a    wedding,    128- 
41  ;     "Behold     the    Lamb     of     God !" 
128 ;    followed   by   two   of   John's    dis- 
ciples,     129;      portrait      descriptions, 
129-32;    calling    Andrew    and    .Simon, 
132;    finding    Philip    and    Nathanael, 
133;     the     first     four    disciples,     134; 
invited     to    a    wedding,     135;     gently 
reproves    His    mother,    136:    His    first 
miracle,    135-8;    goes    to    Capernaum, 
140;    to    Jerusalem    and    return,    143- 
56;     going     up     to     Jerusalem,     143; 
driving  the   market   men   and   brokers 
out   of    the    Temple,    143-5 ;    "Destroy 
this     Temple!"      145,     6;      the     first 
shadows    of    the    Cross,    146;    teach- 
ing    in     the     Temple,     146;     Nicode- 
mus's     night     visit,      147,     8;      Phar- 
isees  jealous   already,    149;   Jesus   did 
not     baptize,     149;     returns     through 
Samaria,     149-51  ;     converses     with     a 
woman    who   comes    to   the   well,    152, 
153;     preaches     to     the     Samaritans, 
154;      the      Baptist's      testimony      at 
./^inon,     154;     at     Cana     again,     155; 
giving     health      to      the      nobleman's 
son,    155,    6:    preaching    in    Nazareth 
and   driven    from    his    old   home,    157- 
67;     goes     over     to     Nazareth,     157; 
enters     the     synagogue     there,      157; 
reading  from   Isaiah,    159:    "This   day 
is     this      Scripture      fulfilled,"      160; 
"Isn't    this    the   carpenter?"    161,    62; 
putting    Him    out,    162:    pushing    to- 
ward   the    nrecinicp,    163:    leaving   the 
home  of  His   childhood,    163:   nreach- 
ing    in    the    neighbourhood,    164;    His 
own  family  becomes  estranged,   164, 


INDEX 


557 


165;  going  to  Capernaum  to  live, 
165  ;  invited  to  make  His  home  with 
Peter,  165,  66:  a  sample  •  day  in  Ca- 
pernaum, 167-78;  casts  out  a  foul 
spirit  in  the  synagogue,  167,  8 ; 
healing  in  the  streets,  169;  a  blind 
man,  170;  Peter's  mother-in-law, 
171  ;  a  paralyzed  man  carried  by 
four  friends,  172-5;  preacliing  and 
healing,  176,  7;  at  sunset,  heal- 
ing and  casting  out  demons,  177, 
178;  all  night  communion,  179; 
"My  Father  works,  and  I  work," 
179;  controversy  over  the  Sabbath, 
180-91  ;  healing  the  infirm  man  at 
Bethesda,  180,  1  ;  cited  before  au- 
thorities for  the  first  time,  182; 
His  defense,  182-4;  His  disciples 
pluck  heads  of  grain  and  eat,  184; 
defending  the  disciples,  185,  6;  re- 
storing a  man's  withered  hand  in 
a  synagogue,  186-8;  conspiring  to 
murder  Him,  188;  foolish  Sabbath 
regulations,  188-90  ;  "The  Son  of  Man 
is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,"  191  ;  desig- 
nating the  rest  of  His  disciples  and 
teaching  through  Galilee,  192-205; 
the  first  miraculous  haul  of  fish, 
192;  the  calling  of  Matthew,  the 
publican,  193-5;  eating  with  sin- 
ners, 194-7;  "Can  the  sons  of  the 
bride-chamber  fast?"  197;  parable  of 
old  and  new  garments  and  wine- 
skins, 197,  8;  preaching  and  heal- 
ing, 198;  all  Galilee  at  His  feet, 
199;  preaching  from  a  boat,  200, 
201;  the  happiest  time  in  His 
mother's  later  life,  202 ;  names  of 
the  Twelve,  203-5  ;  their  standing 
and  attainments,  205 ;  "One  whose 
love  gives  life  its  worth,"  205 ;  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  the  Golden  Rule,  206- 
16;  the  Beatitudes  and  "Woes," 
207-9;  the  salt  of  the  earth,  and  the 
light  of  the  world,  209 ;  on  oaths 
and  retaliation,  210,  211;  saying  the 
model  prayer,  211-13;  "Ask,  seek, 
knock,"  213,  214;  the  Golden  Rule, 
214,  5  ;  "as  one  having  authority," 
216;  His  first  healing  of  a  leper, 
217,  8;  curing  a  centurion's  ser- 
vant, 218-20;  restoring  a  widow's 
son  to  life,  220-4;  opposing  Phari- 
see and  Sadducee,  225-39;  dining 
with  Simon  the  Pharisee,  225-7; 
denouncing  the  Pharisees,  230-2; 
"How  can  Satan  cast  out  Satan?" 
2-33 ;  the  sign  to  Nineveh,  233,  4 ; 
"Woes,"  upon  Pharisees  and  rabbis, 
234,  5 ;  conspiring  to  destroy  Him, 
237,  8 ;  telling  the  people  stories  on 
the  shores  of  Galilee,  240-6;  crowd- 
ed to  seek  refuge  in  a  boat,  240 ; 
"the  Sower,"  and  its  explanation, 
242,  3 ;  "the  wheat  and  the  tares," 
243 ;  explained,  244 ;  mustard  seed 
and  leaven,  244 ;  lamp,  treasure, 
pearl,  net,  245;  "things  new  and 
old,"  246 ;  recognised  as  a  prophet, 
246;  starting  across  the  lake,  247; 
calms  a  sudden  storm,  248,   9;   finds 


a  naked  maniac  among  the  tombs, 
249 ;  drives  the  "legion"  of  demons 
into  a  licrd  of  swine,  250  ;  sends  the 
maniac  liome,  sane,  as  a  missionary, 
251  ;  returning  across  the  lake  he  is 
met  by  Jairus,  251,  2;  heals  a  wo- 
man of  chronic  hemorrhage,  252,  3 ; 
told  that  Jairus's  daughter  is  dead 
now,  254 ;  brings  her  back  to  life, 
255,  6 ;  cures  two  blind  men  and  a 
dumb  demon,  256;  answering  mes- 
sengers from  the  Baptist,  258;  work- 
ing many  miracles,  258,  9;  sends 
the  Twelve  on  a  mission,  260-2 ; 
hears  of  John's  death,  263,  4 ;  return 
of  the  Twelve,  265  ;  no  time  even 
to  eat,  265 ;  Galilee,  opposing  Him, 
266-82;  "He  is  beside  Himself!" 
266;  "My  mother  and  my  brethren," 
267,  8 ;  the  women  who  befriended 
Him,  268,  9;  no  chance  to  eat,  270; 
"How  many  loaves  have  youj"'  270  ; 
"Give  them  something  to  eat,"  271  ; 
"Make  the  men  sit  down,"  271  ; 
feeding  five  thousand,  272;  sending 
them  all  away,  273 ;  communing 
with  the  Father,  273  ;  walking  on 
the  water,  273;  "O  Little  Faith!" 
274;  healing  the  sick  in  the  market- 
places, 275  ;  "the  Bread  of  Heaven," 
276-8;  "Thou  art  the  Son  gf  God!" 
279;  striking  the  fatal  blow  at  His 
own  popularity,  279,  80  ;  synagogues 
closed  against  Him,  280:  "Will  ye 
also  go  away?"  280;  Galilee  rejects 
Him,  280,  1;  "Come  unto  Me!" 
281,  2;  as  Fugitive  with  a  few  fol- 
lowers, 283-300 ;  in  the  region  of 
Tyre  and  Sidon,  283,  4;  casting  a 
demon  out  of  a  heathen's  daughter, 
284,  5;  returns  to  Decapolis,  285; 
deaf  stammerer  made  to  speak,  285, 
6;  feeding  the  four  thousand,  286, 
7;  "You  cannot  discern  the  signs," 
288,  9;  "On  this  rock  will  I  build 
my  Church,"  289,  90:  fortelling  His 
death,  290,  1  ;  "Get  thee  behind  me— 
Peter!"  291,  2;  the  Transfiguration, 
291,  2;  "Hear  my  beloved  Son," 
293,  4;  "Elijah  has  come,"  294; 
casting  demon  out  of  a  boy,  294- 
6;  paying  the  tribute  money,  296,  7; 
"Lest  we  give  offence,"  297;,  "As  a 
little  child,"  297,  8;  talks  to  them 
about  forgiving,  298,  9 ;  story  of  the 
unrelenting  servant,  298,  9 ;  l^t  dis- 
course at  Capernaum,  300;  the  Feast 
of  Tabernacles,  301-14;  "Manifest 
Thyself  to  the  world,"  302;  "Where 
is  He?"  303  ;  goes  up  to  the  feast, 
303 ;  "How  knoweth  this  man  let- 
ters?" 303_;  "Thou  hast  a  devil!" 
303 ;  Pharisees  send  ofificers  to  ar- 
rest Him.  304;  "The  great  dav  of 
the  feast,"  304;  "living  water,"  304; 
"Never  man  so  spake,"  305 ;  Nico- 
demus  speaks  in  His  defence,  305 ; 
a  woman  caught  in  adultery,  306 : 
"Go,  sin  no  more,"  307;  why  did 
He  write  on  the  ground?  308:  "the 
Light  of  the  world,"  309;  "Who 
art    thou?"    310;    "Before    Abraham 


558       THE  STORY  LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


was,  I  AM,"  312-14;  they  pick  up 
stones,  but  He  passes  out  unhurt, 
314;  a  homeless  wanderer,  315-30; 
"sets  His  face  toward  Jerusalem," 
315;  "The  Son  of  Man  hath  not 
where  to  lay  His  head,"  316;  charges 
the  Seventy  and  sends  them  out, 
316-18;  receives  them  back,  318,  19; 
"Who  is  my  neighbour?"  319;  the 
Good  Samaritan,  320,  1  ;  in  the  home 
of  Mary  and  Martha,  321,  2;  gives 
sight  to  a  man  born  blind,  322-5; 
parable  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  327-9; 
the  last  anniversary  of  His  birth, 
329;  attends  the  Feast  of  Dedication, 
330;  an  exile  again,  331-44;  with- 
draws to  Perea,  331;  confessing  and 
denying  Him,  332;  "Blessed  are  they 
that  hear,"  332;  "This  night  is  thy 
soul  required,"  333;  "Blessed  are 
those  servants,"  335  ;  divitjed  houses, 
336 ;  "I  tell  you,  nay,"  338 ; 
straightens  a  woman  bent  double, 
339;  "Are  they  few  that  are  saved?" 
339,  40;  "Go  and  say  to  that  fox," 
341;  "O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem!"  341; 
dinner  wi'th  a  leading  Pharisee,  342 ; 
parable  of  excuses,  343 ;  "None  of 
those  shall  taste  of  my  supper!"  343; 
counting  the  cost  beforehand,  344 ; 
"Look  at  the  fields!"  344:  parables 
in  Perea,  345-62 ;  the  Ninety  and 
Nine,  345;  the  Prodigal  Son,  345-7; 
"Render  an  account  of  thy  steward- 
ship!" 347,  8;  the  Rich  Man  and 
Lazarus,  348-50;  the  Unprofitable 
Servants,  350,  1  ;  warnings  of  the 
kingdom.  351,  2:  the  Pharisee  and 
the  Publican,  352:  Labourers  in  tTie 
Vineyard,  352-4;  the  Pounds  and  the 
Cities,  354,  5:  "Which  did  his  fath- 
er's will?"  355;  the  Wicked  Hus- 
bandmen, 355,  6:  the  Marriage  Feast 
and  the  Wedding  Garment,  356,  7 ; 
the  Wise  and  Foolish  Virgins,  357, 
8;  the  Talents,  358,  9;  "For  the 
least  of  these,  my  brethren,"  359,60; 
New-Found  sayings,  360-2;  the  found- 
ing of  the  Christian  system,  362;  the 
raising  of  Lazarus,  363-72 ;  hears  of 
Lazarus's  illness.  363 :  "Lazarus  is 
dead."  364 ;  back  into  danger,  365*; 
in  Bethany  again.  366:  "If  Thou 
hadst  been  here!"  367;  "Jesus  wept," 
367;  "I  am  the  Resurrection."  368; 
"Lazarus,  come  forth!"  369,  70; 
conspiring  to  kill  Him  and  Lazarus, 
too,  372;  Sanhedrin  plots  against  His 
life,  373  :  "If  w'e  let  Him  go  on  like 
this!"  373;  the  ten  lepers,  375,  6; 
on  marriage,  376-8 :  blessing  the  lit- 
tle ones,  378-9:  warning  the  disci- 
ples, 383.  4 ;  ambition  of  Salome, 
384 ;  lodges  in  Jericho  with  Zac- 
chsus,  385  :  gives  sight  to  Barti- 
majus,  38^,  7:  "\Vill  He  come  up  to 
the  feast?"  387:  supper  in  His  honour 
at  Bethanv,  387 :  Mary  anoints  Him 
with  costly  spikenard,  388,  9 ;  pre- 
paring for  a  formal  entry  into  Je- 
rusalem, 390 :  multitudes  rejoice.  391- 
3;   weeping   over   Jerusalem,    393,   4; 


looking  about  in  the  Temple,  394 ; 
returns  to  Bethany,  394,  5 ;  blasting 
a  fig-tree,  395 ;  His  only  miracle  of 
judgment,  396;  the  children  in  the 
Temple,  191;  "By  whose  authority?" 
398 ;  "I  will  ask  you  one  question," 
398,  9 ;  Sadducees  inquire  .about  tlie 
Resurrection,"  399;  Pharisees  and 
Herodians  also  try  to  trap  Him,  400, 
1;  "Render  unto  Caesar,"  401;  "Thou 
art  not  far  from  the  kingdom,"  401  ; 
they  dare  not  ask  Him  more,  401; 
over  against  the  treasury,  402; 
praising  the  poor  widow,  402 ;  "We 
would  see  Jesus,"  403 ;  the  Jews  re- 
ject Him,  404,  5 ;  warnings  to  the 
Twelve,  405;  false  Messiahs,  406; 
foretelling  the  destruction  of  the 
Temple,  408,  9;  "After  two  days  the 
Son  of  Man  will  be  delivered  up," 
409 ;  chief  priests  and  scribes  plot  to 
put  Him  to  death,  412:  "Where  is 
the  guest-chamber?"  413;  preparing 
to  eat  the  Passover,  414-16;  can 
there  be  mercy  for  Judas?  417-20; 
the  last  Passover  and  the  Lord's 
Supper,  422-39;  "I  have  longed  to 
eat  this  with  you!"  422;  His  only 
Passover  sacrifice,  423  :  teaching 
them  humility,  425-7;  "One  of  you 
shall  betray  me!"  428;  "Is  it  I?" 
428,  9;  giving  the  sop,  429,  30;  in- 
stituting the  Lord's  Supper,  431,  2; 
"Simon.  I  have  prayed  for  thee," 
433  ;  "The  cock  shall  not  crow  till 
thou    hast    denied    me    three    times," 

433,  4;     "Here     are     two     swords," 

434,  5 :  "Let  not  your  hearts  be 
troubled,"  435,  6;  "I  have  overcome 
the  world,"  436:  the  Prayer  of  In- 
tercession, 437;  joining  in  "the  hvmn, 
439,  40;  so  they  came  to  Geth- 
semane,  440,  1  ;  in  the  garden,  442- 
50 ;  "Sit  here  while  I  pray  there," 
442:  "Not  as  I  will,  but  Thou!"  442; 
in  agony  He  prayed,  443;  sweat  great 
drops  of  blood."  443 :  He  comes 
back  the  third  time,  444 ;  goes  out 
to  meet  His  betrayer,  44.4 ;  the  lofti- 
est courage,  444,  5 ;  angels  "sweetly 
soothe  the  Saviour's  woe,"  445 ; 
"Hail,  Rabbi!"  and  kissed  Him 
much,  445  ;  "Dost  thou  betray  with 
a  kiss?"  446:  "Whom  are  you  look- 
ing for?"  446,  7 :  "Put  up  thy  sword." 
447;  twice  repelled  by  the  glory  of 
His  person,  448 ;  "Excuse  me  this 
once,"  448;  His  last  mirgcle,  448,  9; 
the  naked  young  man,  449,  50 ; 
"they  all  forsook  Him  and  fled." 
450 :  led  to  the  palace  of  the  high 
priest,  450:  the  Sanhedrin  agitated, 
450:  examined  by  priest  and  tried 
by  the  Sanhedrin.  451-63;  before 
Annas,  451  :  through  John's  influ- 
ence Peter  gets  in,  452  ;  "Why  smit- 
est  thou  me?"  454;  the  first  blow  in 
His  face.  455  :  that  maiestic  silence, 
456;  "Thou  hast  said."  457:  Caia- 
phas  plays  a  part,  457,  8:  "Guilty 
of  death!"  458;  stung  with  unut- 
terable   anguish,    459;    "the    Saviour 


INDEX 


559 


looked  on  Peter,"  459;  "I  have 
sinned,  He  is  innocent,"  460;  "the 
Field  of  Blood,"  460.;  "Prophesy, 
who  struck  thee?"  461  ;  before  the 
Sanhedrin,  462 ;  leading  their  own 
Messiah  in  chains,  463 ;  before  Pi- 
late, 464-75;  "What  accusation?" 
465  ;  sent  to  Antipas,  466,  7  ;  back 
to  Pilate,  467 ;  examined  privately, 
468;  "What  shall  I  do  with  Jesus?" 
469;  scourged,  469;  "Hail,  King  o£ 
the  Jews!"  470,  1;  "Behold  your 
King!"  473;  "We  have  no  king 
but  Csesar!"  473-5;  "Go,  soldier, 
get  ready  the  cross!"  476;  the  ter- 
rible preparations,  477;  "bearing  the 
cross  for  Himself,  478 ;  laid  upon 
Simon  of  Cyrene,  478 ;  "Weep  not 
for  me,"  478,  9 ;  Pilate's  petty  re- 
venge, 480;  "the  King  of  the  Jews!" 
480,  1  ;  "Father,  forgive  them,"  482 ; 
declining  the  stupefying  liquor,  482, 
3 ;  the  cross  set  up ;  "the  nail  that 
held  Him  up,"  485  ;  taunts  in  the 
midst  of  torture,  486;  "He  cannot 
help  Himself!"  487;  gambling  for 
the  seamless  garment,  489,  90 ;  the 
"Stations"  of  the  Cross,  490 ;  "To- 
day shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Para- 
dise," 491,  2;  "Behold  thy  Son!" 
493 ;  "My  God,  why  didst  thou  for- 
sake me?"  494,  5;  "I  thirst!" — "It 
is  finished,"  "Into  thy  hands  I  com- 
mend my  Spirit !"  496-8 ;  "Truly, 
this  was  the  Son  of  God  !"  499  ;  John 
takes  Mary  the  Mother  to  his  home, 
499;  women  never  unkind  to  Him, 
500 ;  an  earthquake,  500,  1  ;  "They 
shall  look  upon  Him  whom  they 
pierced,"  501  :  He  died,  literally,  of 
a  broken  heart,  501,  2;  the  hurried 
burial,  502,  3;  the  new  tomb,  503; 
sealing  and  guarding  it,  504,  5  ;  how 
He  triumphed  over  the  cruelty  and 
shame,  505 ;  the  greatest  crime  in 
history,  505  ;  a  great  earthquake, 
513,  14;  the  stone  was  moving, 
514;  "walking  in  His  garden,"  516: 
"He  is  not  here,"  516;  John  and 
Peter  at  the  tomb,  517;  Mary  Mag- 
dalene lingers,  518;  "Mary!"  519; 
"as  idle  talk,"  520;  the  news  spread 
fast,  520 ;  bribing  the  grave  watch- 
ers, 521  ;  arguments  for  the  Resur- 
rection, 522,  3  ;  "The  Lord  is  risen 
indeed !"  524 ;  walking  to  Emmaus 
with  two  disciples,  525  ;  "Abide 
with  us,"  526;  "Peace  unto  you!" 
527;  convincing  Thomas,  528,  9; 
meets  them  by  the  lake,  529 ;  an- 
other great  haul  of  fish,  530;  "Feed 
my  sheep,"  530 ;  "Follow  thou  me," 
531;  "Go,  disciple  all  nations,"  532; 
"Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end,"  532;  carried  up  into 
Heaven,  533  ;  they  returned  to  the 
Temple  blessing  God,  533  ;  summary 
of  His  twelve  appearances  after  the 
Resurrection,  533,  4 ;  "Christ  sat 
down  at  the  right  hand  of  God," 
536. 
Jezreel,    164. 


Joanna,    268. 

John   (Jonah,  Jonas),   132,  289,  530. 

John  of  Damascus  (8th  century),  131, 
507. 

John  the  Baptist,  44;  birth  and  name, 
54;  115-19;  126-9;  135,  148,  149, 
157,  165,  183,  197,  205;  death,  257- 
9;  262-5;  289;  as  Elijah,  290,  294, 
330,  331,  340,  341,  348,  355,  398, 
399,    467. 

John  the  Beloved,  123,  128,  136,  137, 
171,  192,  202-5,  254,  268,  315,  329, 
384,  416,  424,  430,  432,  442,  445, 
450,  452;  "Behold  thy  mother!" 
492,  3;  499,  512;  513,  517,  520,  523; 
524;   527,   529-31;   537,   539,  540,   543. 

John,    Letters    of,   referred   to,   293. 

Jonah,  233,   234;   28,  306,  333. 

Jordan,  river,  114,  115,  117-20,  122, 
157,  198,  257,  330. 

Joseph  of  Arimathea,  229,  450,  503, 
513,   517. 

Joseph,  son  of  Jacob,  149,  150. 

Joseph,  husband  of  Mary  the  mother, 
48,  56-9,  62-5,  70-4,  76-80,  82,  85,  86, 
88,  91.  94,  96,  97,  100-7,  133,  160-2, 
277,   492. 

Tosephus,  Flavius,  stories,  43,  73  ;  men- 
tioned, 89,  109;  referred  to,  171,  237, 
409;   story,   512. 

Joses,    106. 

Joshua,    92. 

Joshua,    150,    151. 

Jubilees,    39. 

juda(h),    50.    51. 

Judas  Iscariot  (of  Kerioth),  legend  of 
boyhood,  81;  referred  to,  203-5;  268, 
388,  389,  410-13,  416-21;  treasurer, 
424 ;  obtained  the  most  honoured 
place,  424;  "Is  it  I?"  429;  "went 
out,"  429,  430,  440,  444-6;  460,  534, 
540. 

Judas  the  Gaulonite  (of  Galilee),  94, 
101,    108,    109,    274,    481. 

Tudas  the  Maccabee  (Maccabsus),  164 
B.C.,   89. 

Tudas,  son  of  James,   203,  204. 

Jude,    539,    540.      See   also  Thaddeus. 
Julius    Cresar,    35,    393. 

Justin   Martyr,    104,    507,    542. 

K 

Kedron   (Kidron),   99,  440. 

Keim,   Theodor,    story,   534. 

Kelly,    Thomas,    quotation,    464. 

Kempis,   Thomas  a,   stories,   104,    124. 

Khan,   see   Inn. 

"King    of   the    Jews,"    464,    468,    470-4, 

477,    479-81,    486-8. 
Kingdom     of    God     (of    Heaven),     316, 

328,    340,     351,     352,     355,     361,     382; 

"not    far    from,"    401  ;     "when    Thou 

comest  into  Thv  kingdom,"   491,  492; 

new  hope   of,   526,    527;   laws   of,   535. 
Kingsley,    Florence    Morse,   stories,    171, 

173,    174,    325,    415,    492. 
Knight,    the   sinless,   449. 
Koran    (Kur-an),    story,   76. 


Lamb   of    God,    applied    to   Jesus,    125, 
128,    132,   259. 


560       THE  STORY  LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


Lane,  Edward  William,  story  from  the 
Koran,    76. 

Languages  spoken  by  Jesus,  93,  112, 
113.  See  also  Aramaic,  Greek,  He- 
brew. 

Larcom,   Lucy,  quotation,   283. 

Last    Supper,    the    422-40. 

Latin  translations,  "The  Magnificat," 
51-3;  "The  Virgin's  Lullaby,"  62; 
"Nunc  Dimittis,"  65;  inscription  on 
the  Cross,  480 ;  "Stabat  Mater  Dol- 
orosa," 493,  494;  "Thou  Art  my 
God,  indeed!"  529.  See  also  Vul- 
gate   (Bible   in    Latin). 

Lazarus    (the   beggar),   348-50. 

Lazarus,  brother  of  Martha  and  Mary, 
322;  brought  back  to  life,  363-72; 
374,  388,  389,  392,  393. 

Leah,   44. 

Lebanon,    283. 

Lebbxus,  one  of  the  Twelve.  See 
Thaddseus. 

"Legion,"   250,   251. 

Legion,   Roman    regiment,    394,   448. 

Lentulus,    Publius,    130. 

Lepers,  Jesus  healing,  217,  218;  the 
ten,  375,  376;  the  Samaritan,  376; 
the    ten,    393. 

Levi,  son  of  Alphxus,  see  Matthew. 

Leviticus,    93. 

Libona,    149. 

"Light  of  the  World,"  the,  209,  322, 
516. 

Livia,    105. 

Livy  (Titus  Livius),  Roman  historian, 
34. 

Longfellow,  Henry  Wadsworth,  story, 
387 

Lord's    Prayer,    the    211-13. 

Lord's   Supper,  instituted,   431-3. 

Losania,  511. 

Lot,    351. 

Lowell,  James  Russell,  quotation,  142; 
story,    360;    quotation,    422. 

Luke,  55,  61,  66,  123.  209;  quota- 
tion,   217;    448,    449,    537. 

Luther,  Martin,  112:  translation  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  212;  on  Gentiles, 
284 ;  on  washing  the  disciples'  feet, 
427. 

Lysanias,    115. 

M 

Machserus,   262. 

Macrobius,   Roman  grammarian,  71. 

Magadan,   see   Magdala,   287. 

Magdala,    268,    269. 

Magi,    66-71,    74. 

Magnificat,    the,    51-3. 

Mahomet,    274. 

Malachi,    114. 

Malchus,   447,    448,    452. 

Man  of  Sorrows,  the,  179,  267,  484. 

Manger,   60-3. 

Marcion,    60. 

Mariamne.    40,    74. 

Mark    (John),    123,    185,   376,   396,  413- 

15,  438,  439,  449,  450,  488,  499,  537, 

538. 
Marriage,    customs,    etc.,    Cana,    135-9; 

the  wedding  feast   and  garment,  356- 

8. 


Marseilles,    372. 

Martha,  321,  322,  363,  364,  366-9.  374. 
388. 

Martyr,   Justin,  the,   see  Justin  .Martyr. 

Mary  Magdalene  (of  Magdala  or  Mig- 
dol),  268,  269,  372,  492-4;  illustra- 
tion, beneath  the  Cross,  496;  499 
503;    513,   516-19;    534. 

Mary,  Mother  of  Jesus,  44,  45,  48-66 
69-81,  84,  91,  94,  96,  100-6;  in  the 
Temple,  109,  110,  119,  135-8,  140, 
164,  202,  267,  490,  492-4;  at  the 
Cross,   496,  499,   538,   539. 

Mary,  mother  of  James  and  Joses. 
499,    503,    513,    516. 

Mary,   mother  of  John    Mark,  438. 

Mary  (traditional  name  of),  sister  of 
Jesus,    94. 

Mary,  sister  of  Martha  and  Lazarus. 
321,  322,  363,  364,  366-9,  371,  374 
378,   379. 

Massacre   of   the   infants,   71. 

Matthew,  Levi,  7,  74,  123,  193-5,  201 
203-5,  208,  449,  488,  499,  522,  537- 
40. 

Matthias,   539. 

Mecaenas,    33. 

Melchior,    70. 

Menander,    214. 

Messiah  (the  Christ,  the  Anointed,  the 
Coming  One),  39,  42,  44,  49,  51,  60 
62,  65,  67,  88,  109,  113,  114,  116-18, 
120,  132,  133,  145,  149,  153,  154 
167-9,  177,  178,  201,  202,  206,  233. 
258,  259,  266,  274,  278-81,  288-92, 
303-6,  309-14,  324,  326,  330,  356 
371,  381,  382,  394,  395,  401,  404, 
405;  false  Messiahs,  406;  427  456- 
8,  463,  469,  491,  512,  526,  535;  "the 
Christ   that  is  to  be,"   545. 

Milman,    Henry    Hart,    quotation,    513. 

Milton,  John,  quotations,  44,  68,  100 
118;    referred   to,    126. 

Miracles,  Miracle  Worker,  first,  at 
Cana,  135,  138;  second,  at  Cana, 
155,  6;  casting  out  the  foul  spirit, 
167,  8;  blind  man  and  others,  170; 
Peter's  mother-in-law,  171;  paralyzed 
man  carried  by  four  friends,  172-5; 
many  beside  the  Lake,  176-8;  in- 
firm man  at  Bethesda,  180,  1  :  great 
catch  of  fish,  192,  3;  198;  first  heal- 
ing of  a  leper,  217,  18;  centurion's 
servant,  220 ;  restores  son  to  the 
widow  of  Nain,  220-4 ;  driving  many 
demons  into  the  swine,  250,  1  ;  heal- 
ing a  woman  of  chronic  hemorrhage, 
252-4:  raising  Jairus's  daughter  from 
the  dead,  254-6;  two  blind  men  and 
a  dumb  demon.  256;  curing  many 
of  infirmities,  plagues  and  evil  spir- 
its, 258,  9;  the  sick  in  the  market 
places,  260;  feeding  the  5000,  270-2; 
walking  on  the  water,  273 :  casting 
the  demon  out  of  the  heathen  wo- 
man's daughter,  284,  5 ;  on  a  moun- 
tain in  Decapolis,  285;  a  deaf  man, 
285,  6:  feeding  the  4000,  286,  7;  the 
Transfiguration,  292-4;  casting  de- 
mon out  of  dumb  boy,  295-6;  the 
fish  with  the  shekel  in  its  mouth, 
296,   7;   gives   sight   to   a   man   born 


INDEX 


661 


blind,  322-5 ;  straightening  a  woman 
bent  double,  339 ;  raising  of  Lazarus, 
363-72;  the  ten  leper?,  375;  blind 
Bartimseus,  386,  7 ;  blasting  the  fig- 
tree,  395-7;  restores  Malchus's  ear 
(His    last),    447-9. 

Mishua(h),  part  of  the  Talmud,  93, 
228,    229. 

Money-changers,    142-5,    397. 

Moore,    Thomas,    quotation,    410. 

Morgan,  G.  Campbell,  stories,  121, 
317,   340,   389,   396,   535. 

Moses,  Hebrew  leader  and  lawgiver, 
10,  40,  48,  64,  65,  94,  123,  133,  147, 
150,  151,  182-5,  210,  217,  230,  241, 
276;  Transfiguration,  292-4;  303, 
304,  306-8,  324,  349,  377,  378,  399, 
526. 

Mount  Moriah,  on  which  the  Temple 
stood,    485. 

Mountford,  Lydia  M.  von  Finkelstein, 
stories,    57,    61. 

Mozoomdar,  Protap  Chunder,  stories, 
213     397. 

MuIIe'r,  Dr'.  Max,   12,  13. 

N 

Naaman,    160,    162. 

Nahum,    306. 

Nain,   220,   224,  293. 

Naphtali,    165,    507. 

Nathan   the  prophet,   218. 

Nathanael  (Bartholomew,  which  see), 
one    of    the   Twelve,    133,    134,    529. 

Nazareth  (Nazara),  48,  51,  54-8,  73,  74, 
83-6,  88-95,  99,  103,  104,  106-8,  110, 
114,  120,  122,  127,  133,  157-65,  167, 
194,  204,  343,  365,  368,  371,  394,  444, 
446,  447,  453,  455,  456,  480,  482, 
491,   494,   496,   497,    516,    535. 

Neander,    Augustus,    story,    329. 

Nero,    Caesar,    36,   540,    541. 

Nicephorus    Callisti,    or    Callistus,    131. 

Nicodemus,  147-9,  229,  238,  305,  419, 
450,  502,   503,   513. 

Nicodemus,  so-called  Gospel  of,  254, 
509. 

Nineveh,    Chaldea,   234,   333. _ 

Nirvana,  Buddhist  and  Christian  com- 
pared,   13. 

Noah,    150;    referred    to,    351,    407. 

Nobleman's  son,   155,   6. 

Notovitch,   Nicoles,   story,  87. 

Nunc    Dimittis,    65. 

Nutter,  Charles  S.,  Hymn  Studies,  294. 


Octavius,    see   Augustus. 

Odell,    Willis    P.,   story,    543. 

Offence,    Mount,    392. 

Olivet    (Mount    of    Olives),    outside  of 

Jerusalem,    114,   306,   371,   390-3,  409, 

439,  441,  445,  488. 
"Oracles  of  the  Lord,"  by  Papias,  543. 
Origen    (Origenes    Adamantius),    542. 
Oxyrynchus,  Egypt,  360,  361, 


Palestine,  Map  of,  283. 
Pali,  sacred  language  of  the  Buddhists, 
12,   13. 


Paneas,   72. 

Papias,   543. 

Parables,  "The  Prodigal  Son,"  re- 
ferred to,  9 ;  old  and  new  garments 
and  wine  skins,  197;  delivered  in 
Galilee,  240-6;  the  Sower,  242,  3; 
Wheat  and  Tares,  243,  4;  Mustard 
Seed,  244;  Leaven,  244;  the  Lamp, 
Hid  Treasure,  Pearl  of  Great  Price, 
Net  Filled  with  (".ood  and  Bad,  245; 
Things  New  and  Old,  246;  referred 
to,  247;  the  Unforgiving  Servant, 
298,  9;  the  Good  Samaritan,  319-21; 
the  Good  Shepherd,  327-9;  the  Rich 
Fool,  333,  4:  Servants  Found 
Watching,  335,  6;  the  Narrow  Gate, 
339;  "Open  unto  Us,"  340;  the  In- 
vited Guests  and  their  Excuses,  342, 
3 ;  Counting  the  Cost,  344 ;  the 
Ninety  and  Nine,  345  ;  the  Prodigal 
Son,  345-7 ;  the  Unrighteous  Stew- 
ard, 347,  8  ;  Dives  and  Lazarus,  348- 
50 ;  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican, 
352  ;  Labourers  in  the  Vineyard,  352- 
4  ;  the  Pounds  and  the  Cities,  354,  5  ; 
the  Two  Sons,  355;  the  Wicked 
Husbandman,  355  ;  the  Marriage 
Feast  and  the  Wedding  Garment, 
356,  7;  the  Wise  and  Foolish  Vir- 
gins, 357,  8;  the  Talents,  358,  9; 
"For  the  Least  of  These,  my  Breth- 
ren," 359;  the  Sheep  and  the  Goats, 
360 ;  New-Found  Sayings  of  Jesus, 
361-3;    "no    longer   in   parables,"    436. 

Paradise,   492,    501,    520,    528 

Passion    (Week),   412.    442,    443,    528. 

Passover  (Pasch,  Pascha,  Paschal), 
Feast,  90,  100,  101,  132,  143,  285, 
287,  387,  411-16,  422-40;  465,  467, 
469,  470,  475,  478;  Preparation,  501, 
502,    504,    507. 

Patmos,    540. 

Paul  (Saul  of  Tarsus),  the  Apostle  to 
the  Gentiles,  66,  201;  quoted,  225; 
a  Pharisee,  238 ;  mentioned  by 
Luther,  284 ;  account  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  432;  522;  quoted,  525,  533, 
534. 

Paul's  Letter  to  the  Corinthians,  432, 
533,  534;   cited,   533. 

Pavement,  the,  472,  475. 

Peloubet,  F.  N.,  stories,  106,  271,  393, 
418,    424,   498,    537. 

Peloubet's  Notes,  428,  441,  444,  445, 
451,    465,   467,    475,    478,    482,    496. 

Perea,  district,  9,  72,  149,  331,  333, 
341,  342;  parables  spoken  in,  345- 
62:   363,  375. 

Perushim,   228 ;   see   also   Pharisee. 

Peter,  Simon,  son  of  John,  Jonah  or 
Jonas,  one  of  the  Twelve,  132-4, 
165,  166,  171,  176,  177,  192,  193, 
200,  203-5,  253,  254,  268;  tries  to 
walk  on  the  water,  273,  274:  spokes- 
man for  the  Twelve,  279,  80;  "The 
Great  Confession,"  289,  90;  "Get 
thee  behind  me!"  291,  2;  witnesses 
the  Transfiguration,  292-4;  the  shekel 
for  poll  tax,  296,  7;  "How  often 
shall  I  forgive?"  298,  336,  376,  382, 
395,  410,  415,  416,  421,  424-7,  429, 
430,   433,   434,  442,  443,    447-50,  452. 


56^       THE  STORY  LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


453,    455,    458-60,    513,    516-18,    520; 
527,   529-32,   534,   539. 

Peter's  mother-in-law,  165,  166;  cured 
of    fever,    171. 

Pharisee,  Pharisees,  Pharisaic,  Peru- 
shim,  Jewish  religionists,  110,  111, 
117,  118,  129,  143,  149,  184,  186-8, 
190,  195-7,  206,  225-39:  "Separatists" 
and  "Neighbours,"  227,  228;  some 
of  the  family  of  Jesus,  238:  240, 
258,  266,  268,  275,  281,  288,  304-6, 
322,  3,  328,  331,  341,  342,  348,  352, 
368,  369,372,  373,  376,388,391.  392, 
400,   401,   404,    446,   462,    504,    522. 

Phelps  (Ward"),  Elizabeth  Stuart, 
stories,  38,  45,  50.  51,  54,  57,  59, 
74,  159.  161,  162,  163,  177,  200,  203, 
221,  222.  226,  248.  250.  256,  265,  273, 
366,  368,  370,  371,  432,  435,  440, 
460,   489,   496,   514,    522,   535. 

Philip    (Herod),    72,    115,   257,   262,   285. 

Philip  of  Bethsaida,  one  of  the  Twelve, 
133,  134,  203-5:  at  the  feeding  of 
the  5000,  270 :  brings  certain  Greeks 
to  Jesus,  403  ;  "Show  us  the  Father," 
439:    539,   540. 

Philo    (Tud.TUs),   39. 

Phrygia,   540. 

Pilate,  Pontius,  100,  111,  115;  upris- 
ing against,  336-8:  trial  of  Jesus, 
464-75:  "Behold  the  Man!"  472; 
476,  480,  481,  501,  502,  509-12,  539, 
541. 

Plato,  362. 

Polycarp,    543. 

Pompeii,    34. 

Pompeius    Sextus,    37. 

Pompey,    Roman    general,    37,    66,   393. 

Pope,    Alexander,   quotation,   206. 

Praetorium,  452,  464,  465,  468,  471, 
474,    475,    481. 

Preparation,    see    Passover. 

Presentation  of  the  Infant  Jesus  in  the 
Temple.    64,    65,    74. 

Pres=el.    (German    author,   story,    532. 

Prodigal  Son,  parable,  referred  to,  9. 
See  also  Parables. 

Prophet,  Jesus  as,  201,  218.  223,  26.'?, 
266,  289,  323,  341,  394,  456,  461,  527. 

Prophets,  Book  of  the,  93.  see  also 
Isaiah,    Jeremiah,    Haggai,   etc. 

Psalms  of  David,  93;  240;  401;  416, 
439.   457;   489. 

Psalms  of  Solomon,  39. 

Publican,    Publicans,    193-7,    352,    385. 

Purification  of  Mary  and  Joseph,  64 ; 
of  the  Jews,  135,  154;  Pharisees,  225, 
230,   232. 


Rachel.  44. 

Rama(h),    Bethlehem,    71. 

Ramsey,  Sir  William  M.,  story,  538. 

Rebecca,  44. 

Redeemer  of  the  World,  496,    505. 

Reformation,  Lutheran,  referred  to,  143. 

Renan,     Ernest,     7.     10,     374;     stories, 

376.    481,    504.    528. 
Resurrection,    "I    am    the,"    368,    374: 

Sadducees'     question,     399 ;     475 ;     of 

Christ,   513-16;    517-24. 
Riches,    Jesus'     attitude     toward,      'the 


rich  fool,"  333,  334;  "the  rich  young 
ruler,"    379-83. 

Robbins,  Royal,    story,   33. 

Roman  Catholic,  91  ;  Donay  translation 
of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  212;  Erasmus 
and  Fenelon,  229 ;  statue  of  St.  Ve- 
ronica, 254 ;  story  of  St.  Veronica, 
508. 

Rome,  city,  empire,  law,  power,  sol- 
diery, etc.,  33,  34,  37,  38,  41,  53,  55, 
56,  58,  89,  95,  98,  100,  101,  108-11, 
117,  130,  194,  207,  210,  268,  273, 
274,  289,  337,  370,  373;  legion,  374; 
guardsman,  440;  tribune,  451;  cen- 
turion, 461,  464,  470:  soldiers,  etc., 
476-8:  489,  490;  Veronica  in,  508, 
509-11:  oath,  514:  521,  523,  540,  541. 

Root,   George   F.,   story,   254. 


Sabbath,  observance,  85;  128;  at  Ca- 
pernaum, 167-78;  176-8,  180-91;  ab- 
surd regulations,  184-91  ;  at  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,  303-5 :  dinner 
with  a  leading  Pharisee,  342,  343 ; 
burial  and  preparations,  501-3  :   513-16. 

Saddouk    (Sadoe,    Sadducus),    108,    109. 

Sadducee,  117,  142,  143,  225,  236-8, 
237,  288,  399,  452,  455,  458,  462,  521. 

Salome,    daughter    Herodias,    263,    264. 

Salome,  sister  Herold  the  Great,  42, 
72.   73. 

Salome,    sister  Jesus,    94. 

Salome,  sister  Mary  the  mother,  492, 
493,   496,    516. 

Salome,  wife  of  Zebedee,  106,  268,  384, 
516. 

Samaria,  Samaritan  (citv,  region,  peo- 
ple), 97,  149,  151-5;  158,  260;  Jesus 
called  "a  Samaritan,"  312;  315,  375; 
leper,    376. 

Samaritan,   320,   321,   320. 

Samaritan    woman,    151-4. 

Samuel,    51,   52. 

Sanctuary,    see  Temple. 

Sanhedrin,  the  Jewish  senate,  41,  42, 
117,  187,  326,  '328,  370,  371,  398,  450, 
455-7,  462,  463,  464,  470,  481,  487, 
488,    513,    521. 

Satan,  tempting  Tesus,  120-4;  "casting 
out  Satan,"  232,  233,  240 ;  to  Peter, 
291:  304,  311,  312:  "fallen  as  light- 
ning," 318,  319;  had  bound,  339;  and 
Judas,  412;  entered  into  Judas,  429, 
430,    "demanded   to    help    you."    433. 

Sayings,   New,   of  Tesus,   361,   362. 

School,   ancient    Jewish,    92-4.    103,    180. 

Schiirer,    Dr.    Emil,    stories,    228,   237. 

Scourging  of  Tesus,   467,   469,   473,   474. 

Scribes,  Sophers,  professors,  184,  186, 
195,  201,  215,  216,  230,  232.  246,  266, 
275,  294,  306,  307,  331,  342;  "not 
far  from  the  kingdom,"  401  ;  con- 
spired  against  Jesus,   412;   462,    510. 

Seeley,  John  R..  story,  125. 

Sejanus,   33,    110. 

Seneca,    Lucius,  Annseus,  36,  37. 

Sepphoris,    108. 

Sermon  on  the   Mount,  206-16. 

Seth,    150. 

Seven   "Words"  from  the   Cross,   498. 


INDEX 


563 


Seventy  disciples,  316-18;  319. 

Shakespeare,  William,  10,  44,  91,  418. 

Shammai,   41,    189;    215,    21(5. 

Shepherd,  the  Good,  327-9. 

Shiloh,    149. 

Sidon,   160,    176,   281,   283-5,   317,   423. 

Siloam,   Pool,    99;   323-5;   338. 

Siloam,    Tower,    338. 

Simeon,   65,   66. 

Simon  of  Cyrene,  478,  485,  490,   508. 

Simon   the   Pharisee,    225-7. 

Simon  the  Zealot  (Zelotes),  the  Can- 
aanean  (Canaanite),  one  of  the  Twelve, 
203,    204,    539,    540. 

Sinai,  the  "Mount  of  the  Law,"  123, 
458. 

Sisters  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Salome,  94 ; 
Esther  and   Tamar,    106. 

Slaves,   of   Romans,   37,   38,    100,    108. 

Socrates,   214,  347. 

Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  260,  281,  317, 
351. 

Solomon,  48,  131,  234,  333,  335,  485. 

Solomon,   Song   of,    139. 

Solomon's    Porch,    in    the    Temple,    330. 

Son  of  David,  Jesus  addressed  as,  256, 
386;    392,   397,    401. 

Son  of  God,  title  of  Jesus,  128,  133, 
177,  182,  183,  200,  249,  274,  277-9, 
282,  289,  292:  claiming  to  be,  309- 
15;  318,  319,  323-5,  363,  364,  367, 
380,  394,  404,  408,  463,  486,  490, 
497,   499,    535,    539.    546. 

Son  of  Man,  Jesus  called  Himself,  133, 
147,  149,  167,  174,  179,  183,  191, 
208,  234,  244,  259,  261,  276-9,  289, 
290,  294,  310,  316,  317,  332,  351, 
359,  383-5,  403,  406,  407,  409,  429, 
431,  433,  444,  446,  456,  458,  463, 
520,  546. 

Spartacus,    37. 

Speer,   Robert   E.,   stories,   93,  99. 

Stabat    Mater    Dolorosa,   494. 

Stalker,  James,  stories  from  the  Life  of 
Christ,  55,  62,  126,  199,  229,  236, 
246,  266,  267,  280,  390,  395,  462, 
505,    544. 

Stalker,  James,  stories  from  "The  Trial 
and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,"  418, 
419,  421,  446,  447,  450,  452,  455,  457, 
459,  463,  464,  466,  467,  471.  472, 
473,  477,  478,  480,  483,  488,  490,  500, 
501. 

"Stations"    of   the   Cross,    490,    508. 

Storv,  William  Wetmore,  stories,  420, 
460. 

Stowe,   Harriet   Beecher,  story,  39. 

Strauss,   David   Friedrich,    11,   518,   528. 

Sue,    Eugene,    597. 

Susanna,    269. 

Sychar   ("liar"  or  "drunkard"),   149,  50. 

"Symphony  from  the  New  World,"  by 
Dvorak,    134. 

Syria,   Roman   province   of,    194,   26L 

Syrophoenician   woman,   284,  285. 


Tabernacle  of  Moses,   151. 
Tabernacles,   Feast   of,   90,   301-14,  329, 

337,   392,    402. 
Tacitus,   Cornelius,  37,   541. 
Talmud,  93,   136,  185,  229,  253,   424. 


Tappan,   Eva  March,   stories,   145,  155. 

Tappan,   William    Bingham,   story,   445. 

Targum,   39. 

Tarichaea,     171. 

Tatian,    542. 

Taylor,  Jeremy,   story,   448. 

Temple,  at  Jerusalem  (Herod's)  40, 
46,  64,  66,  88,  89,  98,  99,  100,  101, 
116,  117,  121,  123,  142-6,  197,  269, 
289,  302-14,  325,  337,  338,  388,  394, 
395,  397-410,  415-17,  440,  447,  448, 
450,  452,  461,  464,  481,  485,  533,  540. 

Temple  of  Solomon,   14. 

Temptation   of   Jesus,    120-6. 

Tennyson,  Alfred,  Lord,  Invocation,  6; 
quotations,  7,  12,  88;  story,  371; 
quotation,  373 ;  story,  Mary  of 
Bethany,  389;  quotation,  491;  story, 
525  ;   quotation,  546. 

Tertullian,    60. 

Thadda;us    (Lebbreus),   203,   204. 

Thomas  Didymus  (the  Twin)  one  of 
the  Twelve,  85,  86;  mentioned,  194, 
203,  204,  360,  364,  *439,  519,  520, 
527-9     539     540. 

Thomas,  Richard  H.,  M.D.,  33;  stories, 
224,   239,  485. 

Thomson,  William  McClure,  story,  189. 

Thring,  Rev.    Godfrey,  story,  249. 

Tiber,   34,   37,    511. 

Tiberias,   264,   269,   274,   276. 

Tiberius  C»sar,  33,  37,  115,  130,  131, 
509-11. 

Tisri,   301. 

Tissot,    13;    illustrations    (blank) 

Titus,   79,  80. 

Tobit,  314. 

Tolstoi,   211,  290,   315. 

Trachoni'tis,  72,   115. 

Trades-unions,  Egypt  and  elsewhere, 
72. 

Traditions  of  Jesus's  boyhood,  75-87; 
"of  the  elders,"  229-32;  apocryphal, 
506-12. 

Trajan,  Roman  emperor,  37. 

Transfiguration,    the,    292-4;    393,    424. 

Treasury  in  the  Temple,    309,   402,   460. 

Tree  of  the  Agony  in  Gethsemane,  441. 

Tresoasses,  how  introduced  into  the 
Lord's   Prayer,   211-13. 

Tribute  money,  Peter  and  the  fish,  296, 
297. 

Twelve,  the  (Apostles),  Jesus  choosing, 
132-5,  192-205;  sending  on  a  mission, 
260-2;  illustration,  charging  the 
Twelve,  261  ;  returning,  265  ;  sending 
them  off  in  the  boat,  273  ;  crossing 
Galilee,  274:  fleeing  with  Him,  283- 
300 :  illustration,  alone  with  them, 
336 ;  in  Perea  and  going  to  Jerusa- 
lem, 373-89;  at  Bethany,  394;  fare- 
well words,  412;  with  the  disciples, 
413;  Judas  chosen  one  of  them, 
418;    Matthias    in    Judas's   place,    439. 

Twentieth  Century  New  Testament, 
the  twenty  authorities,  8  ;  stories,  46, 
55,  67,  70,  71,  73,  146,  153,  154,  156, 
160,  165,  181,  192,  196,  210,  217,  250, 
251,    293. 

Tyndale,  William,  Bible  translation, 
211     212. 

Tyre,'  city  and  region,  162,  176,  281, 
283-5,    317,    423, 


564       THE  STORY  LIFE  OF  THE  SON  OF  MAN 


Upper    Room    of    the    Lord's    Supper, 
414,   415,   423,   440. 


Vale  of  Hinnom,  see  Hinnom. 

Vale  of  Kedron    (Kidron),   see  Kedron. 

Varus,   Publius,   Quintilius,   95. 

Vatican,    508. 

Veil  of  the  Temple,  47,  499. 

Vergil,    34,    39. 

Verily  (rendered  also,  amen,  indeed, 
truly,  of  a  truth,  assuredly,  most 
assuredly),  favorite  words  with  Jesus, 
133,  147,  182,  260,  276,  277,  279,  291, 
297,  298,  311,  312,  327,  335,  336,  355, 
382,  384,  402,  403,  405,  407,  426,  428; 
"treuli,  treuli,"  436,  491,  492,  499, 
530. 

Veronica  (meaning  "true-likeness"), 
(Saint),  legends  about,  254:  in  "Sta- 
tions  of  the   Cross,"  490,  507. 

Via  Dolorosa,    see   Man   of  Sorrows. 

Vienne,   511. 

Vinegar   on   the   Cross,   495. 

Virgin,  the,  44,  45,  51,  54,  61-3,  78, 
423,  492,  490,  538,  539.  See  also, 
Mary,  mother  of  Jesus. 

Voice,  the,  Isaiah,  115,  117-19;  383;  in 
the  Temple,  403;  409,  423,  492,  499, 
538,   539. 

Voltaire,   528. 

Volusianus,   509. 

Vows,  Oaths,  Jesus's  teaching  concern- 
ing, 210. 

Vulgate,  8,  10;  the  Lord's  Prayer 
from,   211. 

W 

Wallace,  General  Lew,  507. 

Wandering  Jew,    507. 

Ward,    Herbert    D.,    stories,    366,    368, 

370. 
Watts,   Isaac,  quotation,  476. 
Way   of  Sorrows,    508. 
Wells,    Amos    R.,    story,    60. 
Whipple,     Wayne,     stanza    from     "The 

March  of  Any  Man,"   14;  sources  of 


the  "Magnificat,"  52;  four  lists  of 
the  Twelve,  arranged,  203 ;  two 
stanzas  "Galilee,"  205 ;  extract  from 
"The  Wondtr-Story  of  the  English 
Bible,"  211;  translation  of  Lord's 
Prayer  from  Luther's  Bible,  212; 
literal  renderings,  226,  231,  240-3 
268,  270,  272,  273,  275,  279,  280,  284- 
90,  295,  296,  352,  356,  373,  379;  from 
Greek  in  Longfellow's  "Blind  Barti- 
meus,"  386;  391,  395,  399,  402,  412, 
426,  433 ;  e.xtract  from  "The  Won- 
der-Story of  the  English  Bible,"  436, 
442,  444,  448;  story,  448,  449;  ren- 
dering, 452;  story,  457;  stanza  from 
"The  March  of  Any  Man,"  472  ;  "Sta- 
tions of  the  Cross,"  490;  stories,  507, 
508 ;  twelve  appearances  after  the 
Resurrection,  534 ;  traditional  deaths 
of  the   Apostles,   540. 

White,  Bouck,  stories,  37,  53,  95,  104, 
105,  107,  108,  110,  117,  159,  197,  209, 
227,  297,  308,  313,  318,  343,  344, 
350,  354,  378,  383,  419,  443,  448,  470, 
505,   544. 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  quotations, 
247,    345,   362,    537. 

Wine,  at  the  marriage  in  Cana,  135-9; 
old  in  new  bottles,  197;  at  the  Lord's 
Supper,  431-3;  mingled  with  gall, 
482. 

Woes,  pronounced  by  Jesus,  207,  209; 
"hypocrites!"  231,  232;  against  Phar- 
isees,  234,   235  ;   against  lawyers,   235. 

WycliflFe,  John,  Bible  translation, 
stories,    211,    436. 


Young,    Edward,   70. 


Zacchseus,   385. 

Zachariah,    235. 

Zarephath,   Sidonia,    160. 

Zebedee    (Zebediah,    Zabdai),    106,    192, 

268,  384,  499,  529. 
Zechariah,   Zacharias,   45-8,   SO,   54,   115. 
Zion,   Mount,   44,   99,    391. 
Zoroaster,   347,    362. 


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apologetics." — The    Continent. 

THEOLOGICAL 


WILLIAM  ALEXANDER  GRIST 

The  Hi^oric  Chri^inthe  Faith  of  To-day 

8vo,  cloth,  net  $2.50. 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  the  value  and  sig- 
nificance of  this  new  study  of  the  historic  Christ;  or  the 
singular  lucidity,  beauty  and  simplicity  of  its  style.  That 
it  should  be  the  work  of  a  writer  hitherto  comparatively 
unknown  makes  it  the  more  surprising.  It  is  not  a  life  of 
Christ,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term;  but  it  is  a  rever- 
ent study  and  vivid  presentation  of  the  commanding  figure 
in  human  history,  in  the  light  of  all  that  modern  scholarship 
has   disclosed." — Living  Age. 

GEORGE  COULSON  nrORK^^AX.  rh.D.  {Leipsic) 

At-Onement;  or  Reconciliation  with  God 

l2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

Dr.  Workman,  Late  Professor  of  Old  Testament  E::egesis 
ana  Literature  in  Weslyan  'Iheological  College,  Montreal, 
and  author  of  "The  Old  Testament  Vindicated,"  lucidly 
presents  this  vital  subject  under  the  following  heads:  Atone- 
ment in  Itself,  in  God,  in  Christ,  in  Man.  in  Sacrifice,  in 
Death,  in  Suffering,  in  Service,  and  in  Theory.  Chancellor 
Burwash,  of  \'ictoria  University,  says:  "This  work  of 
great  importance,  should  do  excellent  service  at  the  present 
time.  It  gives  Scriptural  emphasis  to  the  love  of  God  aa 
the  source   of  man's   redemption." 


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